


When a Prank Goes Too Far

by way1203



Series: When a Prank [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-07 05:05:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 34,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/427186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/way1203/pseuds/way1203
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know that Fred and George are the prank kings of the world. Usually they get away with a detention or a few points from Gryffindor. But when they decide to prank an unsupecting girl, will the twins get more than they bargained for?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Brilliant Idea and the Twins Behind It

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is also on fanfiction.net under the name michelle1203. I am michelle1203 on that site, and I'm moving it to this site for safe keeping.

"What about dungbombs?" Fred raised an eyebrow. "If we set off a few in the dungeons, that'd show Snape for sticking us with detention, and-" 

"-It would land us with more detention," reasoned George. "Besides, we've already done that loads of times. It's something the professors would expect from us so-"

"-It would be easy to pinpoint us as the culprits. Right."

Fred and George had been going on like this for almost an hour, whispering ideas back and forth between one another. As the clock struck three, the two seventh year Gryffindors were the only ones who remained awake. After all, coming up with a new prank took time.

"What if we filled the Slytherin's pumpkin juice with a love potion?" George suggested. 

"That would be brilliant! Only we would have to see the Slytherin's snogging each other all day." 

"True. Except, if we spike other houses pumpkin juice as well…" 

Fred thought about it for a moment before looking at his twin, "Back burner?" 

"Back burner," George agreed.

The two grew silent, mulling over pranks to themselves before an idea entered Fred mind. Grinning widely without the ability to keep it to himself any longer, Fred blurted it out to his twin, "Let's prank her." 

George's eyes grew in surprise, " _Her?_ " 

"Yep." 

" Her, _her_?" 

"Yep." 

"Oh, Fred, please telling me that you're joking." 

"I'm not. I think the time has come to prank Sarah." 

"Are you sure?"

"George, I've thought about this before," Fred's excitement was obvious, "and quite honestly it wouldn’t leave me alone no matter how many times I suppressed it." 

"Blimey, I guess you _are_ sure," George smiled. "What is it then?"

"Tomorrow night, we sneak into the girls dorms and spell on her while she's sleeping. When she wakes up, her hair will not only be Gryffindor colors but it will stand on end. I figured since it's practically harmless, Sarah wouldn't be terribly upset when she finds out that we pranked her." 

"Amazing, Fred," nodded George. 

Fred sighed, "But?" 

"Are you sure she'll be okay with a prank? I mean, we've never pranked her so we don’t know how she'd react." 

"Come on George," Fred rolled his eyes. "Since when do you have a pranking conscience?"

"Since her father died this past June. Normally I'd say alright, but in this case-"

"-It's just a way to make someone happy, and that someone is Sarah. You do want her to be happy right?" 

"Right." 

George couldn't say 'no' to Fred's reasoning since he always had a way of making even the worst prank sound like fun. Fred was talented that way. 

"Don't sound so glum about it," Fred patted his back. "We're just doing what we always do, make people happy. We'll be laughing and she'll be happy. It's a win-win situation." 

"Are you sure she'll be laughing? Poor girl's beginning to look like Moaning Myrtle the way she misses her father." 

"Trust me. Are you in or out?" 

"Well, alright." 

"There's the George I know! You had me worried for a second." 

Fred got off of his twin's bed and settled into his into his own, his mind racing with the plan for the next night. It was set in stone. They were going to do it. They were finally going to prank Sarah Jane Stone-Black.


	2. Perfectly Pranked

Around midnight, the twins went downstairs to the common room and made sure they had everything they needed. 

"Wands?" Fred asked.

George held up his, "Check." 

"Duct tape?" 

"Ch-wait. What do we need duct tape for?"

"To cover up _our_ screams if we get caught."

George raised an eyebrow. 

"Or to bind anyone who stands in our way." 

"Uh, right. All set then?" 

"Ready, George?" 

"Ready, Fred." 

Knowing that the stairs to the girls' dormitory would turn into a slide if they attempted to climb them, Fred and George decided to apparate into the girls' dormitory. The twins also knew that she shared a room with Hermione, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson in the 'second dorm on the left' as Sarah put it in a particular conversation with Ginny that they listened in on. So with two pops, Fred and George apparated into Sarah's dormitory, landing right in the doorway of the room. They cautiously stepped towards the ring of five beds. 

"We're in," Fred whispered. "Now which bed is Sarah's?"

George walked towards the first bed on left, "Let's split up. I'll start over here. You take the right." 

"We'll meet in the middle." 

"Right." 

Once Fred went to the first bed on the right, they both uttered _lumos_ and began searching for Sarah. George came across Alicia, who slept on her stomach with her head turned to the right, and Katie, who was sleeping soundly on her back with one arm behind her head and the other draped across her stomach. Fred found Hermione, who laid on her back with her arms to her side, and Angelina, who was wrapped in her blanket, her arm dangling off the bed.

"Any luck," asked George.

Fred ran a hand through his hair, "Nope." 

"So that means…," they looked at each other and their voices trailed off. 

They walked to either side of the bed in front of them and gazed down at the girl they were about to prank. Sarah's breathing was gentle with the occasional faint snore as she lay on her right side, her legs bent into a type of fetal position. Her usually curly hair, which was still straightened from earlier that day, was fanned out behind her. Covering her was a soft, black and white spotted blanket that was decorated with small printed cows and the words 'mooooo goodnight'. 

"Bless her," Fred admired. "Sleeping without a care in the world-" 

"Almost," George added. 

In the wand light, the twins could see her flushed, tear-stained cheeks and red nose. The twins sighed, "Sirius."

"Wands at the ready," Fred advised. 

George raised his wand, "One." 

"Two." 

"Three."

Together, Fred and George swished their wands in half-moon circle before flicking them, placing the first spell on Sarah. Her body glowed starting from her face all the way through the ends of her hair. After the light died away, George and Fred raised their wands for the next spell.

"One," Fred began. 

"Two," breathed George. 

"Three." 

Fred waved his wand one direction while George waved his in the other, causing orange to emit from the first wand and red to emit from second. The two colors mixed and twisted above Sarah's head for a moment before swirling downward onto her hair.

"Excellent." 

The twins quietly high fived before apparating back to their own dormitory. Stripping themselves of their shirts, taking off their slippers, and putting away their wands, the twins crawled into their beds. But once George had gotten comfortable and was just about to fall asleep, his head began to fill with doubt. 

George sat up, "Fred, what if the spell backfired." 

"Are you seriously on about this?" Fred rolled his eyes. "I thought you were over this. Say it with me: nothing's going to go wrong." 

"How can you be so sure?" 

Fred sat up on his elbow, facing his twin. The moon illuminated the room, allowing him to easily focus on George's face, "Enlighten me. What type of thing might happen? Go on, I want to know." 

George looked up in thought, "Well, what if it takes a bad effect? What if we cast the spells wrong?"

"We didn’t cast the spells wrong. Besides, we went over them loads of times." 

"I just…something keeps telling me that we shouldn't have pranked her." 

Fred thought on that statement for a moment, wondering what could have possibly gotten into his twin. George normally wouldn't worry so much about someone they pranked unless…. Fred's heart skipped a beat. That explains it! George was in love with Sarah. He had to be. There was no other explanation for his sudden conscience, right? There was only one way to find out. 

Fred sighed, "Sarah's amazing. I mean, even in her sleep she's gorgeous."

"Yeah," muttered George, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah, she is." 

"Ha! I knew it!" 

"Knew what?" 

"You thought you could keep it from me. I'm your bloody twin mate. I knew you fancied Sarah." 

George's cheeks flushed, "I do not!"

"Do so," Fred smirked. "I knew you've been acting pretty strange lately. Wow, you have a hankering for the Prank Princess."

"I do not have a hankering for Sarah. She's just a friend."

"Whatever, I’m going to bed."

"G'night, Fred."

"G’night, George. I know you like her."

"I do not!"


	3. Stunning Good Looks

"Don't wake her up." 

"Why shouldn't we? She needs to see. Besides, we're going to be late for breakfast." 

I stirred before rolling onto my back and opening my eyes. The girls were surrounding me in their pajamas. Katie and Hermione's mouths were gaped, Angelina's eyes were wide, Alicia had both of her hands covering her mouth, and all of their eyes were locked solely on me. 

I touched my face, "Oh God, I have a pimple don't I?"

"No," Katie placed a hand to her forehead. "Besides, a pimple is the least of your problems." 

"Is my hair still straight from yesterday?" I asked. 

Hermione shook her head, "Sarah, it's…well…maybe you should take a look in the mirror." 

"Yeah, you wouldn’t believe us even if we told you," Angelina blinked. 

Without hesitation, I jumped out of bed and ran straight for the mirror. Whatever was wrong with me was with my hair. The girls followed behind me calling out various things from 'it's not that bad' to 'you really shouldn't fret about it'. It’s a good that I didn't listen to them, because they were lying. Once I got to the mirror and saw my reflection, the color drained from my face. I had straightened my hair the morning before and wore it that way for the entire day. When I had settled into bed that night, my hair was still straight. Now, not only was my hair back to its originally curly state, but it was also orange juice orange and Weasley red. As if that weren't enough, my hair was standing on its ends! It was almost as if I were touching one of those static spheres. 

My mouth grew into a wide 'o' and my breath caught in my throat, "Oh…bollocks!" 

"Sarah," Alicia rubbed my shoulder. "It's not-"

"Ugh!" I squeaked. 

"That bad-" 

"Ugh!" I pointed at my hair.

Katie agreed, "Honestly-"

"Ugh!" 

"Not that awful," Hermione reasoned. "We can…fix it.…"

I couldn't take it any longer. I closed my eyes and screamed as loud as I could. I'm sure the entire girl's dormitory could hear me but I didn’t care. I was shocked and I was confused. I stopped screaming and looked around our room. A few other girls had popped their heads into the door, caught a glimpse of my hair, and ran off. Angelina quickly closed the door and became the first to speak up. 

"Sarah, are you all right?" 

I shook my head. All I could say was, "I look like my first cousin." 

"You shouldn't compare yourself to her," Katie frowned.

"I do. I look like Bellatrix."

"Oh, come off it," Hermione grabbed her hairbrush. "It's not so bad. Like I said, we can fix it. Besides, if you looked like Bellatrix, you would be a hundred times less pretty than you are right now." 

I stared at her for a few minutes before nodding in agreement and taking the hairbrush from her hands. "You're right. Does anyone have any bloody idea how I can fix this?"

When everyone began to blurt out their ideas, I decided to allow the girls to one by one try their hand at fixing my electric locks. Hermione tried it first, brushing my hair into a ponytail which she then pinned into a bun. My hair did not cooperate, to say the least. It actually sent the pins flying across the room. Katie and Alicia worked together to place my hair in a half up half down style which only seemed to make it worse as the hair in the ponytail stood on end as well. Finally, Angelina was the last to have a go at my hair. She managed to braid my hair into two frizzy, armpit-length pigtails, and it was unanimously decided that this was the best looking hairstyle out of the four. 

"I love you Angelina!" I smiled. "Now let's get a move on, we'll be late for breakfast."


	4. Confrontation and Acceptance?

I have never had so many people stare at me in all my life. From the moment I entered the Gryffindor common room, all eyes were on me and not in a good way. A couple of girls gasped, and a few boys snickered, but mostly everyone was shocked. I hurried out of the common room and towards the Great Hall. Not surprisingly, the staring and laughter continued and I couldn't help but to think what would happen if I walked past a Slytherin. I could feel my cheeks burn red as I turned a corner. Before I realized what happened, I slammed right into someone's shoulder and fell backward, spilling the contents of my school bag. 

"Watch it!" 

I looked up. This day just got better and better. I avoided Malfoy's sneer by stuffing my quills, books, and parchment back into my bag. 

"Hello? What about an apology half-blood?" Malfoy snapped.

This is just one of the main reasons why I hate being a part of the Black family. I have to be related to that git Malfoy and his whole lot. Sighing, I lifted my bag over my shoulder, "I'm sorry Draco, but I don’t answer to derogatory names. Besides, my father is pure blood, and my mother was a half blood. So, if you had passed Arithmancy, you'd know I'm three-quarter blood you ass." 

"You're still a filthy little half-blood in my eyes. Your father was a fool for marrying a blood traitor like Stone." 

I resisted the urge to punch him, "At least I don't have to have my dad fight my battles for me." 

"At least my father's alive." 

My heart pounded in my chest and I could feel the blood race through my veins. Before I could reach for my wand to hex him, I felt my legs carrying me away. I saw the tears blurring my vision as I reached the Great Hall and let out a sob. Slowing to a walk, I reached up and wiped my eyes and headed for the only two people who would cheer me up.

Fred and George. 

"Oi, there she is," Fred smiled. 

"We were wondering where you were," George agreed. 

I wiped my eyes and let out a sob. Fred and George's smiles faded as quickly as they had appeared.

Fred's eyebrows furrowed, "Princess?" 

"Sarah-doll?" George's eyebrows did the same.

They slid away from each other and patted the space between them on the bench, "Sit down." 

I did as I was told and immediately felt two sets of arms wrap around me. I sobbed again, resting my head on George's shoulder as I felt one pair of arms let go.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Fred asked. 

George rubbed my back, "Why are you crying?" 

"Is it your hair?" They questioned. 

Moving my head from George's shoulder, I sat up straight and shook my head. I hated that I could cry so easily when it came to comments about my father. It was for that fact that I envied Harry so much. I wish I could be like him and take hits and jokes without crying. 

Hermione looked over at me and, noticing my tears, spoke up, "What's wrong, Sarah? You're not upset about your hair are you?" 

"That what we asked," Fred and George mentioned. "She said no." 

I was beginning to cause a scene as Harry and part of Ron's attention was caught. 

"What’s wrong?" Harry asked. 

"Nothing," I wiped my eyes. 

Harry rolled his eyes, "Don't give me that rubbish. I've known you long enough to know that it's obviously something."

I started to shake my head again when George touched my shoulder, "You can tell us Sarah." 

"What's bothering you?" Ron shoved a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth. 

"Malfoy," I uttered. "I was on my way here. I was upset about my hair and I bumped into him. We exchanged words. He said…he said…" 

Both Fred and George's full attention was on me, "What did he say?" 

"He called me a filthy half-blood."

Hermione's face turned red with anger, her eyes narrowing and her breath growing quick. When she opened her mouth, I held up my finger to let her know that it didn't stop there.

"He made jokes about dad, saying that he was a fool for marrying a blood traitor like my mom."

Harry looked offended as well, but said nothing, and Ron looked like he was going to be sick. 

"I told him that I didn't have to have my dad fight my battles," I took a breath, "and then…"

"Sarah," frowned Fred.

George chimed in, "You don't have to say-"

"He said at least his father was alive," I finished. 

I buried my head in Fred's shoulder this time, the sobs beginning all over again. I heard the clanking of silverware and the soft thud in front of me. Raising my head, I noticed a plate full of hash browns, waffles, and bacon. 

"Thanks," I muttered. 

George gave a small smile, "You're welcome." 

"Don't listen to Malfoy," Hermione advised. "He only says those things because he's insecure about himself."

Harry shook his head, "He's a right foul git for saying that about Sirius. If I ever see him, I'm going to-"

"-Turn his face into a tea cozy," scowled Ron

Fred and George nodded in agreement and I took the time to imagine Malfoy's face as a tea cozy. As soon as the image entered my head, I couldn't help myself…I had to laugh. 

"Sarah?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" 

I held my stomach and continued to laugh, "Malfoy." 

"He just insulted you. What could possibly be funny about that?" Harry blinked.

"I was imagining his face as a tea cozy." 

Everyone stared at me for a moment, I imagine because they were picturing Malfoy's new tea cozy face. Slowly, each one of them started laughing, starting with the twins and Ron. Harry laughed so hard I thought he was going to choke on his pumpkin juice. In an attempt to calm myself down I took a deep breath but instead of stopping, I giggled. I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth and hoped no one heard.

"Did you hear that Fred?" Fred stopped laughing. 

George gasped between laughs, "Hear what?" 

"Sarah, just now, she giggled." 

"What?" 

Before Fred could say anything more, Hermione shook her head and said 'tea cozy' causing me to giggle to myself once again. 

"Sarah!" George hugged me. "You giggled!" 

Fred grinned, "Not once, but twice!" 

"Yeah," I calmed down, "so what?" 

"'So what?' she says," Fred rolled his eyes. 

"So," George noted, "you haven't giggled in months Sarah." 

"Yeah, especially since…you know…Sirius."

My eyes widened a little at the mention of my father's name. He was right, I hadn't really laughed hard, let alone giggled, since I got the news that Bellatrix killed him. 

George nudged his twin, "Fred, I guess this means that our little girl's finally out of mourning." 

"I think you're right George," Fred agreed. "Our little Prank Princess is moving towards acceptance." 

I smiled slightly and stared down at my waffles, "You know, even though it may show in my laugh...I don’t think I'll ever fully accept that he's gone."


	5. Tea Leaves

"See you later Sarah!" 

Fred and George waved to me as they left for Defense Against the Dark Arts. I waved back and felt my stomach twist into knots again as I followed Ron, Hermione, and Harry up the stairs to Divination. I never really had a problem with Professor Trelawney until last year. Every time we went to class, she would ask Neville about his grandmother and then ask me about my father. I would always answer fine or okay until the day I got the news about him. Then, she would ask me if I was okay and say something about loss. I was a little agitating. I mean, if you had just lost someone dear to you, would you like if someone was in your face about them every time you saw them? I wouldn’t think so.

"Hey, Sarah," Seamus smiled at me. "I got a cup for you." 

I took my usual seat next to him and set my bag next to my chair, "Thanks Seamus."

"Any time. Say, have any new pranks that you're thinking of?" 

"Not any off the time of my head. Do you have someone you want to prank? 

"Oh yeah-"

"My students, wonderful you are all here today," Trelawney entered the room.

"Tell me about it later," I whispered to Seamus. "I'll get Fred and George in on it, too." 

He grinned, "Perfect."

"Are you in the beyond?" Trelawney walked through aisle and up and down the levels of tables. 

No one answered her. We were all too busy downing our tea for fear that she would stop and ask to read our leaves. 

"Today…we will be reading tea leaves…" 

"No shit," I heard Ron whisper behind me. "We do this once a month." 

I suppressed a chuckle and finished my cup before swapping it with Seamus's. Everyone finished their cups and took the cup of the person opposite of them. Once we finished, Trelawney made her sweep across the classroom, taking her pick of tea leaves to announce to the classroom. This is the part that bothered me. It's only you and your tablemate's business what your tea leaves say. I mean, it's like utter alienation when you get something horrid from your tea leaves. People avoid you as if you had just confessed to killing Hippogriffs and worshipping Voldemort. First on Trelawney's list, of course, was Neville.

She picked up his cup, "My dear boy, have you forgotten something important? 

"I-I don't know," Neville furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't think so."

Trelawney scanned his leaves and shook her head, "Oh dear…dear, dear, dear...."

Neville and Dead looked at each other and then at his cup, before Neville began to panic. He flipped through his Divination book madly, trying to figure out what his cup meant. Seamus studied my tea leaves and I studied his. 

"Are you in the beyond?" Trelawney asked aloud. 

"I never understood what 'the beyond' was," Seamus whispered. 

I nodded, "Me either." 

Stepping down from the fourth level of tables, Trelawney walked to our table and pushed her glasses up her nose. She touched my hand, "My dear girl, are you well?"

"Yes," I blinked. "Why?" 

"Loss is a terrible thing. Give me your cup."

Seamus cautiously handed her my cup. She happily took it, scanning over the leaves with her eyes that looked magnified by her glasses. 

"OH!" 

Placing my hand over my heart, I jumped. "Whoa. Hi." 

I could feel pairs of eyes staring at me and didn't dare to take my eyes off of Trelawney, Seamus, or my cup. 

"Dear girl….your omen…," she took a gasping breath and began to speak. "Terrible things await you…The Two will be the blame for all your troubles, The Two…remember what happened in the near past…The Two. Beware of the changes…" 

She coughed a couple of times and blinked. There was a long, dead silence before I spoke, "Professor, who are 'The Two'?" 

"You know them more fondly than I do."

I felt the color drain from my face. Something or someone I knew was out to get me. Trelawney patted my shoulder and continued to walk around the classroom, telling the others about their leaves. I sat there in shock, my eyes glued to my cup now. The leaves were separated, one was on the left, one was on the right, and a third was in the middle. The right leaf was curled into sideways 'w' shape and the left one was curled the same way. The leaf in the middle was curled into a diagonal 's'. What did that mean? What did 'The Two' mean?

"Earth to Sarah," Seamus shook me gently. "Are you okay?" 

I nodded, "Fine."


	6. Whomping Willow

As I gathered my things to go to my next class, Professor Trelawney walked over to me and patted my shoulder sympathetically.

"Dark things await you, my child. Such horrid things. Remember The Two! Remain in the beyond." 

Not knowing what to make of Trelawney's message, I stared at her for a few moments. 

"I will," I furrowed my brow. "Goodbye Professor." 

I heaved my bag over my shoulder and followed Seamus out of the door. Once we were down the spiral staircase, he spoke. 

"What the hell was that about?" 

I shook my head, "I have no clue."

As the two of us wandered onto the lawn for Care of Magical Creatures, my stomach began to tie into knots. We were supposed to meet at the Whomping Willow today to examine a couple of bird species, but I had a really bad feeling about it. 

"Sarah, are you okay?" Harry asked. "You look a little peaky."

I raised my eyebrows, "Peaky? I'm okay. I just have this twinge in my stomach."

"Do you need to see Madame Pomfrey?" 

"No, no. You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you think something bad's going to happen? I have that." 

Harry nodded, "I know what you mean. Only I've learned to ignore mine over the years." 

"Yeah I can imagine your scar hurting would outweigh the aching gut." 

"Yeah, that and if I didn't ignore it, I'd vomit every day from fear of being ambushed by Voldemort." 

I chuckled and Harry wrapped his arm around me, the two of us walking towards the Whomping Willow. Once we got to the Willow, we got into our usual group with Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Seamus and, since we were having class with the Ravenclaws, Luna. 

"We have Professor Grubbly-Plank today," Hermione mentioned. 

"Really?" I groaned. "Fantastic." 

Finding this out really wasn't helping the pain in my stomach. Before anyone else could say anything, Professor Grubbly-Plank began to speak. 

"Today class, we're going to observe the Swabbledack. Can anyone tell me what the Swabbledack is?" 

Hermione's hand shot up at lightning speed. Everyone began to groan since their chance to answer the question had been taken. 

"Yes, Hermione?" 

"A Swabbledack is a type of blue bird that resides in Whomping Willows. They tend to make a lot of noise as well." 

"Very good," Grubbly-Plank smiled. "10 points to Gryffindor. Miss Black, point one out, will you?"

I pointed at myself and she nodded. A string of curses swarmed through my head. My stomach felt as if I'd just fallen off my Firebolt. Leaving my bag next to Harry, I cautiously walked towards the Willow where a blue Swabbledack sat. I felt like I was going to either throw up or pee my pants. 

"Walk a little faster Sarah," Grubbly-Plank advised. "They're not easily scared creatures." 

"Honestly Professor, it's not the bird that that I'm concerned about." Walking to the branch, I pointed at the bird. "There's the Swabbledack." 

"Very nice. You may return to your classmates." 

"Thank G-"

Suddenly a branch the size of an anaconda swooped down, smacking me in the stomach. I fell to the ground and tried to crawl away when another branch scooped me up. Screams pierced the air, and they weren't my own. Professor Grubbly-Plank tried to calm down my classmates but was failing miserably. Hermione was shouting something at me, but I could barely hear her. 

"Help!" I managed to yell. "Get me down!" 

Wrapping my arms and legs around the branch, I hugged it close to me so I wouldn't fall. The Willow swayed madly, sending me twisting and twirling through the air. Before I could scream again, the branch sent me through the tree. Branches scraped my face leaving gashes and cuts along my cheeks and neck. The tree spit me out of the other side, sending me flying through air once again. 

"Sarah!" Hermione yelled. "Stay calm!" 

I screamed, "How can I? This tree won't quit moving!" 

The branch I was grasping sent me racing through another thicket. I could feel my robes catching and ripping on the branches. My arms and hands began to sting just as the branch swung me into the air. I screamed at the top of my lungs. 

"Sarah! Try to let go!" Harry called. 

"I can't!" 

"Let go!" Hermione urged. "He and Ron will catch you." 

"What?!" My eyes widened.

Ron and Harry looked at her, "What?!"

I was paralyzed with fear. I was clutching a malevolent tree branch, screaming like a demon, too scared to let go. Tears blurred my vision and I shrieked again. Where the hell was Professor Grubbly-Plank? 

"You're going to have to let go Sarah!" exclaimed Hermione. "It's too risky for me to stop it!" 

Harry held his arms out, "Let go! Trust me!" 

It's not that I didn't trust him, it's just that letting go would be complete and utter suicide. I felt something warm and sticky trickle down my cheek and knew it was blood. Suddenly, a searing pain swept across my back. I began to grow weak and my arms felt numb. I couldn't hold on any longer. I heard screams from all around me. 

"Oh my God!" 

"She's bleeding!" 

"We need Madame Pomfrey!" 

My eyelids grew heavy as I felt myself begin to fall. The wind blew against my face, easing the burn of my wounds for a moment. Tumbling downward, I landed on a soft service. 

"Sarah, are you alright?" 

Harry's voice filled my ears and I noticed him beneath me. I must have fallen on him. I closed my eyes as everything swirled around me. 

"Sarah? Sarah, answer me. Sarah!"


	7. Vienna Waits

"Hello Sarah." 

I opened my eyes and found myself surrounded by blue and soft white. I looked around, searching for something familiar and saw him. 

"Dad?" 

Sirius looked at me, his eyes warm and caring, "Yes, sweetie-bear, it's me." 

"But if you're here, then that must mean," My face fell. "I died?" 

"No, no. It's not your time sweet pea." 

"Then, how am I here?" 

"You're unconscious right now," Sirius explained. "You lost a lot of blood and Madame Pomfrey's doing her best." 

I began to panic, "So…I could die?" 

"Sarah," he cupped my cheeks in his hands, "you're not dying anytime soon, that much I promise you. Like I said before, it's not your time yet."

"Am I in Heaven?" 

Sirius chuckled, "Yes. Wonderful, isn't it?"

Sitting down on what I realized was a cloud, I nodded. He sat down next to me, ran a hand through my hair, and pulled me close. I sighed. I missed dad. I missed his hugs, his smell, his voice, I missed it all. He kissed my forehead and pulled away. 

"I don't want to leave you," I looked up at him. 

"Oh Sarah, you have to. You have a life ahead of you. You're growing into a beautiful adult…you look more and more like your mother every day."

"I always thought that I looked more like you." 

Sirius chuckled, "You have a certain likeness of me, but I standby what I said. You're starting to look more like your mother. In any sense, you have a life ahead of you sweetie-bear. You're going to marry an amazing man, someone that is just for you. You'll be an Auror and a member of the Order. If everything goes the way I think it will, you're going to have children, precious children and carry on the Black name." 

"I can't be an Auror," I shook my head. "There's no way I could catch dark wizards." 

"Anything's possible Sarah. Now, you have to be going soon and I want you to know that I'm always with you." 

"But-"

"Sarah, you have to go and live your life." 

My eyes began to water, "I don’t want to leave you. I miss you too much. It's been horrid these past few months." 

"I know. Sarah, you and your mother meant the world to me. Harry too." 

"Are his parent's here?" I asked. 

"Yes," Sirius smiled. "Lily and James are here. They're thrilled that you and Harry are getting along well."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him once more, "I miss you so much dad. You have no idea. I don’t know how I can go on some days, it just hurts so much." 

By this time, my cheeks were streaked with tears. I let out a sob and Sirius stroked my hair. 

"The one's that love us never truly leave us, they will always be found here," He pointed at my heart. "I love you sweet pea." 

"I love you too dad." 

I buried my face in his chest and continued to cry. I didn't want to say goodbye, not again. It had hurt too much to get the news of his passing and now that I'd gotten to see him again, leaving was like getting the news all over again. 

"Do you remember that song I used to sing you before I went to Azkaban and after I came back?" asked Sirius. 

I thought back, "I remember. It's called 'Vienna' isn't it?" 

"Yes and for your reference it's by Billy Joel. Sweet pea, I sung that to you then and I still sing it to you now." 

"What?" My eyes widened. 

"I watch you all the time from up here, just like James and Lily watch Harry. When you go to sleep at night, I sing it to you."

"Really?" 

"Yes," Sirius sighed. "Sarah, a father can only watch his daughter cry at night so much before he intervenes. So I began to sing it every night up here, hoping that some way, it would get to your ears."

"I guess it has," I blinked, wiping my eyes. "Thank you."

He stood and I followed suit, "Any time. Now, sweetie, you have to go. If you would like, I'll sing to you before you go."

"I would." 

Sirius wrapped his arms around me, "Slow down you crazy child, take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while. It's alright you can afford to lose a day or two. When will you realize Vienna waits for you?" 

I took a breath, inhaling his scent one last time before closing my eyes. "I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Sarah."


	8. Shouldn't Be Here

When I opened my eyes, I was slightly disoriented. Everything was spinning and it felt like I was lying on something soft and flat. I blinked a few times, focusing my vision on the sights of Madame Pomfrey and the Hospital Wing. 

"Oh, good," she smiled, "you're awake. I just sent Harry back to class." 

I sat up abruptly and immediately regretted it. At the quick change of posture, it felt like I was being singed in the back with a red hot poker. "Holy mother of fu-ouch!"

Pomfrey shook her head disapprovingly, "You shouldn't have sat up so quickly. Your back is temporarily mended but it's still bleeding. A cut that deep…you're going to have a nasty scar when that heals." 

"What?" I raised my eyebrows. 

"You were harmed by the Whomping Willow, fell a few feet after, and from what Potter told me, the tree slashed your back. It's a miracle it didn't harm your spine. You should be lucky to be a live Miss Black." 

"What class period are we in now?" 

"Fourth," she paused for a moment, scanning me before she spoke again. "Don't even think about going to class in your state." 

"But-"

"You're staying here." 

I watched her walk away and sighed. I could feel the gauze bandages underneath my robes, which were no longer ripped and dirty. Even though Pomfrey was probably right in keeping me here, there was no way I was listening to her. I couldn't stay cooped up in the Hospital Wing, I'd go mad! So, as soon as Pomfrey retreated into her office, I slowly got off of my bed, swung my bag over my shoulder, and crept out. It took a few steps before I could painlessly walk and stand normally with my bag, but once I figured it out, I began to dread sitting down again. I made my way to the dungeons for Potions and slipped into my seat next to Hermione. Upon noticing me, she raised her eyebrows. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked with her voice no higher than a whisper. "You shouldn't be here, Sarah. You're gravely injured." 

I smiled slightly, "Obviously not gravely enough since I'm sitting here." 

"Not gravely enough?" 

I shook my head. 

"Sarah," Hermione pressed. "If I were to give you a pat on the back right now, would you scream?" 

"No," I answered. "However, I'm not ruling out the possibility of tears or-" 

The doors to the dungeons swung open as Snape made his entrance. We all pulled out a quill and our textbooks, if we didn’t have them out already, and paid attention to the front of the classroom. 

"Today," Snape droned. "You will be concocting the Draft of Complications. Since we have talked about this particular potion before, I expect each of you to know what it does. If you do not know, the name of the potion should give you an inkling. You will begin now and you will finish by the end of class. Retrieve two of your ingredients up here. Otherwise, you should have everything you need." 

After a few moments, we made our way up to his desk, retrieving the ingredients needed for the Draft of Complications. I waited for the crowd to clear before carefully standing up and walking towards Snape's desk. With each step I took, it felt as if the room was spinning. I blinked a few times and finally made it to his desk. 

"Professor Snape," I took a short breath. 

Snape's eyes narrowed, "Miss Black?" 

He's never liked me, nor disliked me. Since my father was basically his enemy, Snape sees me as an incarnation of Sirius, just like he sees Harry as an incarnation of James. However, the fact that I'm good at potions keeps me off his torture list. Sighing, I placed my hands on his desk and leaned forward.

I sat in my hip, "Professor, is it just me, or is the room spinning?" 

"I don't know what the devil you are talking about, but the room is not spinning," Snape assured me. 

"Oh," I nodded. "Okay." 

Snape watched me as I took a bezoar in my right hand, a frog tongue in my left, and began to walk back to my seat. I felt someone behind me, but it didn't matter because I fell forward a few steps later. 

" _Wingardium Leviosa._ " 

Snape's voice penetrated my ears and I found myself hovering helplessly above the floor. I felt extremely weak. Maybe Hermione was right, I shouldn't have been here. 

"Miss Black?" 

I was flipped over so I was facing the ceiling, my head lolling backward, my arms dangling to my sides. I saw Snape stand over me, his lips muttering something I couldn't hear. Whether the other students crowded around us, I'm not sure. My eyes closed and felt really tired. 

"Move!" Snape bellowed. 

I felt something or someone carry me out of the classroom carefully, perhaps I was still levitating. Barely hanging on, I listened to Snape's footsteps on the stairs of the classroom. 

"You are all to continue your potions while I am gone. None of you are to leave this classroom until I get back and if your potion isn't finished by the end of class, 50 points will be taken from your house." 

I heard groans followed by, "Each." 

"Professor," I muttered. "Where…are we going?" 

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in this state, and then we will decide what to do with you."


	9. Finally Caught

Professor Snape burst through the door of the Arithmancy classroom. After he has deposited Sarah Stone-Black's unconscious body with Dumbledore, he was sent by the great wizard to find Fred and George Weasley. 

"Excuse me Professor, the Headmaster would like to see the Weasley Twins," Snape hissed, his arms folded. 

"Sure," Professor Vector nodded. "Fred, George, go with Professor Snape." 

Some students turned to look at the twins, while other's whispered things like "ooh" and murmured phrases including "somebody's in trouble" and "not again!". 

Others, like Angelina Johnson, glared at them. "What did you do _now_?" 

"I don't know?" George gave a sheepish grin.

"Rubbish!" Alicia Spinnet narrowed her eyes, "Who did you prank this time?" 

"No one?" Fred chuckled.

"Weasley's, now!" Snape bellowed. 

Fred was the first to turn around, followed by George. One glance at Snape sent an immediate chill up their spines, a chill that only grew worse once dark-haired Professor pointed at the twins and curled his finger. Taking the hint, Fred and George gathered their belongings and followed Professor Snape out of the class. 

"What did we do?" Fred asked. He had a hunch what they were being called in for, but he wasn't entirely sure.

George remained silent. He could feel his stomach begin to bubble like the point he had brewed earlier that day. E couldn't help but to wonder if they were being called in for the prank they had pulled in Sarah the night before. 'I knew we shouldn't have done it!' He thought. 'We are so completely and utterly busted.'

"It seems that Sarah Stone-Black has been gravely injured. According to Madame Pomfrey, Sarah left the hospital wing without dismissal and made her way to my class. After she fell unconscious in the front of my classroom, I took her to Dumbledore. He asked me to gather you two."

"So…he thinks we had something to do with it?" Fred stomach dropped. 

"I'm not sure. But if I were him, I most certainly would think that you two would have had something to do with it. You two are the notorious pranksters in the school." 

Fred grew silent and looked at his twin, who looked like he was about to ralph in the middle of the hallway. Once Snape said the password, Fred and George followed him up the winding staircase. 

"Headmaster, I have retrieved the Weasley twins just as you asked me to," Snape entered Dumbledore's office. 

"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled. "You may return to your class Severus. As for you two, Fred and George, have seat." 

Snape exited the room, leaving Fred and George to follow Dumbledore's instructions to sit. Upon taking their seats, the twins noticed something different about Dumbledore's desk. Instead of the normal scattered papers, knickknacks, and thing-a-ma-bobs, the desk was cleared of everything except a dark-haired girl who was lying on top of it. 

Fred and George gasped, "Oh my God, Sarah!" 

"I thought you two might recognize her," Dumbledore nodded. "As Professor Snape might have told you, Miss Black has had a little run-in with the Whomping Willow tree. She was gravely injured and was sent quickly to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey did her best, but could only temporarily heal her. She should still be in the Hospital Wing. However, we all know how stubborn Miss Black can be at times. 

"After examination, Madame Pomfrey concluded that there were two spells placed on Miss Black either last night or earlier this morning. Now, the spells, were relatively harmless. One was a hair coloring spell, while the other was a spell for static electricity. We aren't entirely sure as to what caused the Willow to lash out so. Seeing as how you two are close to Miss Black, do either of you boys have any inclination as to how these spells were placed on her?" 

George's heart began to pound in his ears. Fred looked at his twin and shook his head, he knew what he was about to do. He couldn't tell Dumbledore what they had done; they would wind up with detention for months. 

George swallowed hard, "Look, I'm sorry Fred, but Professor, we did it. Fred and I pranked Sarah."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at George's honesty. He didn't think that it would be so easy to get the truth out of the twins. In fact, it normally wasn't. "Is this true Fred?"

"Yes," Fred nodded. "George and I pranked her last night. I didn't know that a prank like that would cause this," he looked down at the pale girl in front of him. "How many months of detention have we got?" 

"Yeah," George agreed. "How badly have we got it?" 

"It's not as simple as giving you two a detention. Your idea was no doubt creative, but the harm caused to Miss Black is very, very serious," Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle. "It will be a while before she is entirely…herself…again." 

"What do you mean?" The twins' eyebrows rose. 

"She has a rather large wound on her back, and the damage of the spells you cast has caused effects that are beyond Madame Pomfrey's jurisdiction." 

"So…?" Fred inclined. 

"So, Sarah is to be in your care until she is back to her normal state." 

"What?" George sat up straight.

Fred shook his head, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're not serious are you?"

"I thought I impressed upon the two of you how serious this situation is. Yes, Mr. Weasley, I am being quite serious." 

"Where...where would we take care of her?" George breathed. "How would we take care of her?" 

"There is a living area close to Gryffindor tower that the three of you will be able to use. Your belongings are being taken there as we speak." 

Fred blinked, "But we're boys. How is that allowed?" 

"You two are Miss Black's friends. I trust that you will look after her appropriately. Now, you two will make sure that she goes with you to all meals and trips to Hogsmead. She may attend classes if she feels well enough; if not her friends can bring her the work. On Madame Pomfrey's orders, you will also have to clean her wound every night until it properly heals. Of course, those materials will be in your chambers. Are you two clear?" 

"Yes," George began, "But-" 

"I'm sorry Mr. Weasley; there is nothing that can be negotiated. I wish the two of you the best of luck. You are excused."


	10. Sweet Suite

Even though the Headmaster had excused them, the Weasley twins remained planted in their chairs. Fred's face reflected pure shock with his eyebrows raised and his eyes widened greatly. George, on the other hand, had his brow furrowed and looked as if he were going to be sick. 

After several moments of silence, Fred finally spoke, "Professor Dumbledore, why do we have to take care of her?" 

"We weren't the ones who hurt her back," George agreed. 

"Yeah, you said that it was our prank that caused the effects-" 

"We didn't cause her back injury." 

"That is an excellent point, you two," Dumbledore smiled. "You didn't hurt her back, the Whomping Willow did. However, you did prank her and for that you will need to be punished." 

"Then why not stick us with detention?" Fred blinked. 

"Because it has occurred to me that, at this point, detentions are meaningless to you two. Regardless of the punishment you are sentenced with, the two of you continue to prank students and staff alike."

George nodded. Dumbledore had a point there. Detentions for him and his twin were just another moment spent thinking of new pranks. 

"Can you tell us what we can expect?" questioned Fred. 

"Yeah," George agreed. "You said that she wouldn't be-" 

"Entirely herself-" 

"What does that mean?" 

"I'm not entirely sure myself, though I believe that she may be ill for some time and her emotions will be imbalanced until the effects of the spells wear off."

"In that case, why don't you send her to St. Mungo's?" Fred snapped. 

"Yeah, oh have her stay in the Hospital Wing?" George agreed.

"You two may recall that earlier I said this is beyond Madame Pomfrey's jurisdiction. As for St. Mungo's, her symptoms are not serious enough for her to be sent there." 

The twin's blinked, "But-" 

"I greatly admire your determination to get out of this punishment, Mr. and Mr. Weasley, but there is no getting of this. The Willow did cause harm to her, but we cannot punish a tree now can we? The two of you must learn to take responsibility for your actions. You are responsible for part of what happened to Sarah, therefore, it is only natural that you will have to take care of her. I am very sorry that it has come to this. Fred, George, Sarah Black will be your responsibility until she is well again." 

The two redheads stared at Dumbledore for a moment before standing and walking towards the door. 

"Boys, I believe you have forgotten someone." 

The words 'responsible' and 'responsibility' played over and over in their heads like a broken record, as they turned to face him once more. Making sure his left arm was behind her back and his right was under her knees, George gingerly lifted Sarah off of Dumbledore's desk. 

Fred placed his hands in his pockets, "Anything else, Professor?" 

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "If you go to Gryffindor Tower, turn left, and walk about two paces to the right, you will see a portrait of a lady in a blue dress. Say the password and you will get into your suite. The password is 'pumpkin squares'. That is all." 

Both Fred and George thanked the Headmaster and before leaving his office. Once they were down the hall, George looked at his twin. 

"I can't believe it," He sighed. "The first time we get a punishment from Dumbledore in a year and it’s the worst." 

"I know," said Fred. 

"And what-how are we supposed to care for her?" 

"I don't know." 

Following Dumbledore's instructions, Fred and George walked until they found themselves in front of a portrait of a thin lady in a baby blue dress. She had long blonde ringlets, soft hazel eyes and ruby red lipstick on her thin lips. The blue lady was rather young, not looking much older than twenty. 

"Password?" She smiled. 

"Pumpkin squares," The twins answered. 

The blue lady curtsied with a giggle, "You two gorgeous boys may enter." 

As the portrait hole opened, both Fred and George entered to find a large common room. There was a red and gold fire burning with a couch, armchair, and a loveseat surrounding it. Fred's eyes were wide and George almost dropped Sarah. 

"George," Fred looked at his twin, "I think this punishment just got ten times better." 

"I was thinking the same thing," George agreed.

On the far left side of the room there was an entryway to a bedroom and on the far right side, there was another entryway to a bedroom. Neither entryway had a door to separate it from the common room. 

"I guess Dumbledore doesn't trust the three of us enough to have doors to our rooms," Fred chuckled. 

George smiled, "Which room do you supposed is hers?" 

"Let's try the right." 

They walked down the steps, into the common room, past the furniture, and through the doorway into what seemed to be Sarah's room. Across from the door was a full-sized four poster bed covered with a red and gold bed spread and pillows to match. There was a nightstand with a lamp next to her bed along with extra blankets on the foot of her bed. On the right side of her room was a closed door and on the left was a dresser with drawers, a matching chair, and an arm chair. 

"If this is her room-" Fred blinked. 

George looked around, "Then our room should be-"

"About the same." 

"What's in that room?" 

George shrugged and watched as Fred entered the room, "It's a bathroom! Bloody amazing one at that! Shower, Jacuzzi tub, normal loo, and a porcelain sink." 

"Wicked," George grinned.

Once Fred left the bathroom, George gently laid Sarah on her new bed, taking great care lay her on her back with her head on a pillow. Fred moved to the other side of the bed and took off Sarah's shoes before placing them on the floor by her nightstand. Following his twin's lead, George removed her robe and draped it over the arm chair. 

"There," Fred smoothed her hair. 

"She should be more comfortable now," George smoothed her clothes. 

The twins took a moment to look over Sarah. Her French braided hair was now frizzy not just from the static spell, but from the day's events as well. Her white button up shirt and tie were in place along with her skirt and calf high socks. 

"Her belongings are here," Fred pointed. 

George looked up in enough time to see the dresser drawers open and the contents of her trunk float into place. Once the drawers closed, her trunk closed and slid next to the dresser. 

The twin's eyes lit up, "Brilliant." 

"Fred," George suggested. "Let's go check out our room and get back to class." 

"Yeah," Fred agreed. "Sarah needs her rest." 

"Sleep tight Sarah-doll." 

"See you soon, Princess." 

With that, the boys kissed her cheeks and turned out the lights before heading out of her room.


	11. Sorting in Dreams

I was unconscious at first, that much I was certain about. As of right now, I think I'm asleep. I must be, yeah? I mean, for a while, I could hear Fred and George and Dumbledore talking about me, so I must have been somewhat awake. In any case, after I passed out in Snape's arms, I began to dream about my first night at Hogwarts. 

The first time I met Fred and George. 

_A witch named McGonagall was welcoming us to Hogwarts and talking to us about being sorted into houses. I was trying to pay attention, but there was a chubby boy named Neville scrambling on the floor around me._

_"Any rule breaking and you will lose points," She glared a boy with slicked blonde hair._

_I knew that kid. His name was Draco and his dad was a Death Eater. He prided himself on being a Pureblood, and he was unfortunately part of my extended family on my dad's side. Neville crawled over my foot._

_"Where's Trevor?" He muttered._

_"Trevor?" I furrowed my brow. "Who's Trevor?"_

_"My toad!" He whispered, looking around frantically, "He's gone."_

_"I'm sorry. Why doesn't he have a ca-?"_

_"Trevor!"_

_The boy leaped forward and grabbed his pet just as McGonagall glared at him._

_"Sorry," Neville frowned._

_"The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily," She continued, before leaving us to talk amongst ourselves._

_I was about to question Neville about why he take better track of Trevor when Draco made an announcement._

_"It's true then, what they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."_

_Everyone around me began to gasp in shock while I, on the other hand, resisted the urge to run up to Harry and tell him that my father was his Godfather and that his parents were my Godparents. But I couldn't tell Harry. Dumbledore had come to our house and had given me specific instructions not to tell Harry about my father, Sirius. He had said that Harry needed to be protected since the world thought my father had killed his parents. I turned my attention back to Malfoy and Harry's verbal exchange._

_"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." Harry retorted_

_McGonagall returned, tapping Malfoy on the shoulder and looking at us all. "We're ready for you. Follow me."_

_We followed her into the Great Hall and began the sorting process. I didn't pay much attention until Harry came along, then again most people didn't. McGonagall placed the hat on his head and it began to speak._

_"Hmmm... Difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you..."_

_Harry began to mutter under his breath, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin!"_

_The hat raised its eyebrows, "Not Slytherin eh? Are you sure? You could be great you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that. No?"_

_Harry began to beg, "Please, Please anything but Slytherin, anything but Slytherin."_

_"Well if you're sure, better be... Gryffindor!"_

_Harry seemed relieved as he joined the Weasley's at the Gryffindor which erupted into applause and cheer. I stood and waited for my turn, listening as it seemed like everyone got their turn except for me._

_"Sarah Stone-Black," McGonagall called._

_I pointed at myself and she nodded with a smile. Cautiously I made my way up the steps and sat down on the stool. It seemed like everyone was either staring at me or whispering about my last name._

_"Ah, I was wondering when you'd come around. Part of the Black family I know where you should to go. Slytherin's been in your family for generations. Until your father anyway. The last Black heir. Slytherin's in your blood. You have kin in Sly-"_

_"No," I hissed. "I have kin in Gryffindor as well."_

_I thought about Harry for a moment and then I thought about the Weasley's and how nice they've been to my family in the past._

_"Oh, I see. Settle down, no need to get a bee in your bonnet. You have a mind like your mothers, clever, headstrong. You're too like your father. Very loyal, however, you can be cruel, good natured but your temper is explosive. Let's stick to your parental ties, shall we? Ravenclaw…or Gryffindor…"_

_The room was still and my heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like I was going to cry._

_"Gryffindor!"_

_McGonagall took the Sorting Hat off my head and I was met with claps from Gryffindor. After taking a deep breath, I wandered over to the table and found a spot across from the Weasley Twins._

_"Welcome to Gryffindor!" They chimed. "We're Fred and George!"_


	12. Fred or George?

"She still hasn't woken up." 

"It'll be fine, mate. She'll wake up soon." 

"Are you sure? She seemed pretty unconscious when we brought her here." 

"George, calm down. Look, she's waking up." 

I stirred slightly, opening my eyes to find Fred sitting on my right and George on my left. Or was it George on my right or Fred on my left?

"Where…where am I?" I asked. "This isn't the Hospital Wing." 

"Right you are," the twin on my left smiled.

The twin on my right smiled as well, "You're in your new room." 

"Well, your room until you get better." 

My eyebrows furrowed. What did they mean by 'until you get better'? 

The twins noticed this and quickly added, "We'll explain later." 

"Oh…right." I nodded. "Fred? George?" 

"Yes?" They answered. 

"Would you mind telling me which twin you are? I'm still a trifle bit woozy." 

"We're not going to let you off that easy, Sarah," the left twin began.

"You're going to have to play the game," the right twin smirked. 

"Who's who?" The twins asked. "Which one of us is Fred? And which of us is George?" 

The left twin smirked, "Do you remember?" 

I sat up but thought better of it when my head began to spin. Lying back down, I stared up at the Weasley twins. I loved Fred and George to bits, but having them ask me who was which twin wasn't going to happen. 

"Sorry guys, I don't think I can tell you two apart right now." 

"Aww," the left twin lay down next to me, propping himself up with his right elbow while looking at me with a pout. 

"We think you can," the right twin propped himself up on his left elbow with a pout. 

"Am I Fred? Or is he Fred?" 

"Am I George? Or is he George?"

I looked to my right and then to my left before making a decision. "Left George, right Fred." 

There was silence as I stared at the ceiling groggily. I briefly wondered if I was right and began to second guess myself, when both of my cheeks received a kiss. 

"She's so adorable, isn't she?" The right one grinned. 

"Yes, she is," the left agreed.

"We'll let you try again." 

I rolled onto my left and focused on the left twin's face. His eyes were calm and there was a smallest glint of mischief. I rolled over and looked at the other twin. His eyes were just as kind as his twins, but the mischief was more than a little noticeable. I was certain that I was right the first time, but for good measure, I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. 

Touching the right twin's hand, I made a request, "Call me 'Princess'." 

"Oh," he looked into my eyes. "Anything for your Princess." 

I asked the left twin to do the same. 

"As you wish, Princess," the left twin granted my wish.

"Now call me 'Sarah-doll'," I told the left twin.

He nodded, "Alright, Sarah-doll." 

I rolled to my right and opened my mouth to ask the same of the right twin when he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. 

"Sure thing, Sarah-doll." 

George never called me 'Princess' as often as Fred did. So when the left twin said 'Princess', it didn't roll off the tongue as smoothly as 'Sarah-doll'.

"Alright," I smiled. "I still stand by what I said before: George on the left, Fred on the right. Don't you dare say I'm wrong, because you both know I'm right."

"How'd you know?" Their eyebrows rose. 

"I'm not telling you. If I did, you'd switch things up in order to utterly confuse me." 

"You know us too well, I'm afraid. I'm Fred," the right one shook my hand. 

"I'm George," the left shook my hand. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I propped myself on my elbows. "I'm Sarah. Sarah Jane Stone-Black." 

"Is your father Sirius by any chance?" Fred continued our banter.

"Yes, and he's innocent." 

I received two cheek kisses, "We know."


	13. The Truth Hurts Worse

After our little re-acquaintance, Fred, George, and I went down to the Great Hall for dinner. My scar was stinging a bit, but I tried to ignore it and have fun with the twins. I picked at my food and listened as everyone chatted about their classes that day, the upcoming Quidditch match, or the fact that they "totally failed that potions assignment" after Snape had returned to class. 

"Aren't you hungry?" George asked. 

"You've barely touched for food," Fred agreed. 

"I'm alright," I shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into my mouth. "See?"

The twins exchanged worried glances before turning their attention back to their plates. I took a sip of cranberry juice and sighed. 

"Sarah, has your back stopped bleeding yet?" questioned Hermione.

I shrugged, "I'm not sure. I haven't looked…not that I could." 

"Trelawney predicted this!" Lavender interrupted. "I knew it. You all told me she was wrong, but she was right! Can't you see it? The Two, I mean." 

"Oh, shut it!" Ron rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah," Hermione added. "Seriously? The Two? Trelawney can't be right." 

"Actually, she can be right," I nervously picked at dry skin on my lip. "I mean, Harry's prophecy about my father and the second prophecy of Voldemort." Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed a few Ravenclaws looking back at me with unsettled faces. I faced my plate, "You know, she has a tendency to be right. I mean, maybe 'The Two' is something so obvious that I've overlooked it several times." 

"Uh, Sarah," Fred faced me. 

"Can you look at us," George did the same. 

I smiled slightly, "I would, but I can't look at you both at the same time. It would hurt my eyes." 

The twins didn't laugh like they normally do when I use that quip. My smile faded and I grew serious.

"We have something we want to tell you," they sighed. 

George took a deep breath. His eyebrows were knitted tightly together and his mouth open and closed like a fish as he tried to form the words."Sarah…I-I…we…back...it's our fault. " 

"How?" This time my eyebrows furrowed. "The sodding Whomping Willow hurt my back, not you two." 

"You are correct. What George meant to say," Fred added, "was that we pranked you." 

"Fred!" George's eyes widened. 

"She was going to find out sooner or later mate." 

I took another bite of mashed potatoes, "What the devil are you talking about?" 

"We pranked you the other night," George rubbed the back of his neck. "We hexed you twice, Sarah-doll." 

"Uh, one spell made your hair all static," Fred explained. 

"The other made your hair red and orange." 

My hands began to shake, possibly from the fact that I was trying not to scream and cry, "What?" 

"We did it while you were sleeping, Sarah," George noticed my hands and looked like he was going to pee his pants. "We're so sorry." 

"Very, very sorry," Fred nodded. "If it's any consolation, we're going to take great care of you when you get sick and your emotions get imbalanced. And not just because Dumbledore told us to." 

"I'm going to be sick?!" I widened my eyes.

This time, a few Hufflepuffs and several Ravenclaws stared at me, not to mention every Gryffindor near me. I was too enraged to keep my voice down. 

"Sarah, we're sorry," George and Fred touched my shoulders. 

"We hate that it had to come out this way," Fred looked sincere.

"But hey," George chuckled nervously, "the suite is near Gryffindor Tower and the lady in the blue dress is the portrait hole." 

Each twin tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and whispered, "Pumpkin squares is the password." 

The Trio, Lavender, Seamus, Neville, Ginny, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, and I stared at Fred and George.

"Mum's going to kill you when she finds out," Ginny shook her head. "I can hear the Howler already." 

"Are you kidding me?" snapped Angelina. "Do you know how hard it was for her to fix her hair this morning?" 

Hermione looked suspicious, "I thought boys' couldn't get into girls' dorms." 

"Apparated," the twins stated. 

"Why?" I asked. "Why did you do it?" 

The twins looked at me and frowned, "We wanted to make you happy." 

"Make me happy?" I raised my eyebrows. "Are you serious?" 

"That and we thought it would be funny," Fred pointed out.

I scoffed, "Funny? Right." 

Eager to get a quick revenge, I grabbed Fred and George's goblets and stood up. I was so angry at them that I didn't know what else to do. My hands slipped sideways as I poured their goblets on their heads, watching as grape juice coated Fred and George's hair and shoulders. Once the goblets were empty, I slammed them on the table and pulled my sleeves up.

"Sarah," Fred wiped his eyes. 

"We're sorry," George did the same. 

I said nothing as I pushed their faces into their plates and walked out of the Great Hall.


	14. Apologies

I sat on my new temporary bed, in my new temporary room, with my back against the headboard, as I cried. I couldn't believe that they'd prank me. Why would they do that? Even if it was supposed to be funny and make me feel better, it didn't make it right. They'd never pulled a prank on me before. 

"Sarah?" There was a soft knock. "Can we come in?" 

Sniffing, I decided to get under the covers instead of responding. Why should I let them in? 

"Sarah, please?" 

"No!" I yelled. 

"Sarah." 

"There is no bleeding way I'd let you enter this room," I spat. "Get the fuck out and stay the hell away from me!" 

The door opened revealing a shocked Fred and George, "Whoa." 

'Whoa' was right. I'd surprised myself with that one. Quickly wiping my tears, I sat up and watched as the twins shut the door behind them and crawled into bed beside me. 

"Now why," George settled in on my left.

Fred did the same on my right, "Did you pour drinks on our head?"

"Because it was funny and I thought it would make you feel better," I sighed. 

"Touché," they nodded. 

George moved closer to me, pulling the blankets up to his chest, "Sarah-doll, we meant well. Honest." 

"George is right Princess," Fred did the same. "We thought that it would make you happy. I mean, you got to admit that it was pretty cool what we did to your hair." 

I shook my head.

"Come on Sarah," George brushed hair out of my eyes. "You know that we prank people." 

Fred nodded, "Yeah, all we do is eat-" 

"-Sleep-" 

"-Breathe-"

"-Poop-"

"-And prank."

"It was a matter of time before we got you," George reasoned. 

"We apologize," Fred kissed my shoulder. "We didn't mean to make you cry." 

"We're very sorry." 

"I know," I rubbed my eyes. "I just…I don’t know. I guess I thought that you'd never prank me, is all."

"We never thought we would either," Fred smiled. 

George grinned, "It was a spur of the moment decision."

"So what do you say Sarah?" 

"Do you forgive us?" 

I closed my eyes and folded my arms, thinking about everything that had happened today. The prank wasn't that harmful, they said it wasn't their fault that my back was injured, and they had accepted Dumbledore's punishment to care for me. They normally acted so sweet and caring towards me. I opened my eyes and uncrossed my arms. 

"Maybe I'm overreacting a little bit," I admitted. 

Fred's eye widened, "So do you-" 

"-Forgive us?" George raised his eyebrows. 

"Please?" 

"Pretty please?" 

"Pretty please with sprinkles and candy on top?" 

"And Butterbeer on the side?" 

"And a shot of Firewhiskey?" 

I laughed, "Yes, I forgive you. But only because of the Butterbeer and shot of Firewhiskey." 

"I knew it," Fred sat up.

"It works every time," George high-fived his twin.

"Now Sarah," Fred grew serious. "There's something that George and I have to do every night." 

"We would rather Madame Pomfrey do it-"

"-But Dumbledore said we had to." 

The twins exchanged nervous glances and my heart began to pound loudly in my ears, "What do you have to do?" 

"Sarah-doll," George took my hand. "We love you very much-"

"-and we hate to see you in pain," Fred continued, "but…" 

"But what?" I furrowed my brow, knowing that I wasn't going to like the answer. 

Fred and George took a deep breath and uttered six words that would forever change the relationship I had with the twins. 

"We have to clean your back."


	15. Screaming

Butterflies filled my stomach as I removed my robes and my button up shirt. I trusted Fred and George, but I couldn't help but to be anxious at the idea of them seeing me half naked. As I began to unravel the bandages that covered my breasts and waist, there was a small knock on the door. 

"Sarah, are you ready?" 

The twins had given me a bit of privacy while they collected the things they needed to clean my back. I sat back down on my bed and called for them to come in. Fred entered my room carrying a basin of water and George followed close behind with a cloth, a large bottle of rubbing alcohol, and fresh bandage. I watched as George poured the alcohol into the water while Fred shut my bedroom door. Taking off this bandage was harder than I thought, and asking for help was going to be weird.

"Something wrong Sarah?" Fred noticed. 

George looked up, "Do you need help?" 

"Umm," I bit my lip, "please?" 

Fred and George's blushed, "Uh…sure thing,"

I crawled to the center of my bed, standing on my knees with my arms out to my sides. The twins exchanged glances before George crawled beside me on my left and Fred did the same on my right. Fred took the piece of bandage I'd started with and lifted it off my stomach before handing it around to his twin. George then took the bandage, lifting it off my back before handing to Fred. Together, they unraveled my bandage until I was completely naked above my skirt. 

"Thanks guys," my cheeks were burning. 

The twins were beyond embarrassed at sight of my not-so-small chest. Their entire faces, including their ears, were as red as their hair by the point. I don't blame them really. I mean, here I was on a bed, with C-cup knockers, wearing nothing but a skirt, knickers, and socks. They're boys. They can't help it.

Fred and George looked away, "Umm, should we start now?" 

I took a deep breath, lying on my stomach so the twins could clean my back. Now that we were past the awkward stage, all we had to do was get past the painful one.

"Princess," Fred pulled up a chair on my right, "I'll be really gentle. I promise." 

George took a seat on my left, "Sarah-doll, you can squeeze my hand when it starts to hurt. I placed a numbing charm on it so I won't feel anything." 

"Why can't you put that charm on my back?" I questioned.

Fred and George frowned, "On Dumbledore's orders, we can't." 

"Of course," I groaned. 

The twins gave me sympathetic glances before Fred dipped the cloth into the basin. I braced myself for what I was certain was going to be infinite pain by taking George's hand in mine.

"I reckon this is going to twinge a bit," Fred began. "On the count of three: one-" 

"-Two," George kissed my hand. 

I closed my eyes, "-Three." 

From the moment Fred placed the cloth on my back, I started screaming. I felt Fred move the cloth down the length of my wound, pressing it from my left shoulder blade, down to my lower back just above my right hip. My hand tightened around George's hand. 

"Princess," Fred yelled over my voice, "I apologize! I really do!" 

George cringed at my constant wailing, "Sarah, you're going to have to be strong for a while! I understand it hurts!" 

Fred removed the cloth in order to place it back in the basin once again. I stopped screaming and gasped, feeling the sting subside for a moment. My face was red and sweat was beginning to form on my forehead. I felt like I was on fire. Fred quickly placed the cloth on my back again and a scream erupted from my throat. 

"Fuck!" I turned my head to face George. "Oh, bloody hell this hurts!" 

"Sarah," George reassured me, "it'll be okay." 

I felt Fred's fingers carefully press the cloth inside my wound. Even though the cut wasn't that deep, it felt as though it was as deep as the inside of my backbone. My eyes widened and my screams filled the silence once more. 

"Sarah, I'm sorry," Fred apologized again. "I'm sorry. I can't say it enough." 

Tears filled my eyes and I squeezed George's hand. At this point, I was certain I'd broken a few of his bones. "I'm in so much pain! Make it stop!"

"Does it hurt more than being in labor?" George tried to tease. 

"I don't know!" 

When Fred removed the cloth, I turned my head to face Fred. Tears filled my eyes and I was completely winded from screaming. 

"Stop, please," I begged. "Stop, it feels like knives. Fred, stop…please?" 

The basin, which was once clear, was now slowly turning red from each meeting it had had with the cloth. Fred pulled the cloth from the water and wrung it out, revealing its stained color. 

"I'm sorry Princess." He sighed sympathetically before placing the freshly dampened cloth on my back, "I'm really sorry, but on Dumbledore's orders I can't." 

"We have to clean your back so it won't get infected," George added. 

I screamed and closed my eyes, praying for this pain to end. Twenty minutes later, I'd gotten my wish. Twenty minutes later, I was sitting up with new bandages around my waist. I can't believe I didn't pass out from the pain. Fred, who had charmed the basin and the cloth out of the room, sat in his chair staring at his hands, which were slightly tinted from my blood. George sat on my left with his body slumped in the chair as he opened and closed his right hand. The three of us were completely silent. 

"I-I can't do this tomorrow," Fred finally spoke. "Your screams Sarah…I don’t know what was worse, seeing you writhe in pain or listen to you scream in agony for so long." 

George was next, "Both were equally bad. Plus, I think my hand might be sprained. It hurts to move it." 

"Let's trade jobs tomorrow alright?" 

"Sounds fair." 

I let out a sob, "I'm sorry."

Fred touched my hand, "Oh, Sarah." 

"Sarah, it's not your fault," George stroked my hair. 

"It just hurts us to cause pain to you," the twins sighed. "Are you okay?" 

My voice was almost gone, so I could only nod. Besides, I just felt numb. 

"Are you sure?" They raised their eyebrows. 

"I just need to rest," I whispered. 

Fred and George stood while I attempted to remove my skirt and socks. I realized quite quickly that leaning forward, arching, or slouching hurt my back. I let out a whimper. 

"Need help?" Fred asked. 

I nodded. Without a word, Fred removed my socks and George gently pulled my skirt down to my ankles. Fred covered me in a blanket and George tucked me in. 

"Thank you," I rested my head on a pillow.

Both of them kissed me on my forehead and headed for the door. 

"Good night, Princess," Fred left the room. 

"Sweet dreams, Sarah-doll," George turned out the light. 

…

Once Sarah's bedroom door was shut, Fred and George sat in the living room and stared into the fire. Both sat slouched in their chairs, completely unsure of what to do or say next.

"I have never heard screams like that in my life," Fred sighed.

"I won't soon forget them," George agreed. 

"They were so…so…" 

"Blood curdling?"

"Yes," Fred's eyes widened. "I mean, at least she's asleep now. I hope she's not in too much pain in her sleep."

George looked at his twin, "We have to go to breakfast tomorrow and act like this never happened." 

"I know. We have to make people laugh…the whole enchilada." 

"Right." 

They grew quiet until George spoke up, "She screamed until her voice gave out. I can't believe it."

Fred nodded, "She started sobbing after that. I'm surprised she didn't pass out."

"I kept waiting for it to happen," George closed his eyes. "I knew that her body could only take so much and I kept watching for her to faint-" 

"-But it never happened," Fred shook his head. 

"It hurts my heart to see her like this." 

"Me too, George. Me too."


	16. Dreaming Again

_"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!"_

_I looked up as Seamus Finnigan burst into the Great Hall with a Daily Prophet in his hand._

_Ron furrowed his eyebrows, "Who?"_

_"Sirius Black!"_

_My heart jumped. Seamus placed the paper on the table and I immediately recognized the man with shaggy, dark hair, who was holding the Azkaban Prison placard. How in the world did my father make it all the way here without being caught?_

_"Dufftown?" Hermione skimmed the article. "That's not far from here."_

_Neville looked worried, "Do you think he'd come to Hogwarts?"_

_'Yes,' I thought. 'Not only has he got a child here, but he's got a Godchild as well.'_

_I looked back down at the article. What if he did come to Hogwarts? Would he just walk right into campus, or would he lurk around in his Animagus form? Would Dumbledore tell Harry? I could feel my heart beating fast._

_"Dementors? He slipped past them once," Seamus reasoned. "Who's to say he won't do it again?"_

_"That's right," a fourth year nodded. "Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke…like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."_

_I chewed my lip. It was hard enough being the daughter of an alleged murderer. I mean, when people asked me about my dad, I could never tell them that he is Sirius Black. I always had to tell them that he went away on a trip when I was young, and hasn't returned just yet._

_Few people knew that that particular trip was to Azkaban._

_"Sarah, are you going to be okay?"_

_I turned around to see Ginny looking at me sympathetically. The Weasleys' knew my secret. Since my dad was a part of the Order, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew about my connection to Sirius, just as they had known about Harry's connection to him as well. However, they never told their children. They left that business to me. So I told Fred and George, and eventually told Ron and Ginny. As for Hermione, she figured it out herself._

_"I'll be fine," I stood up and walked towards the common room. "I'm just a little worried, is all."_

_"Why are you worried?" Ginny followed._

_"My father has escaped," I whispered, "and I have a feeling that he's coming to see me and Harry."_

_"He's got business with Harry, but you? Do you think he'd chance it?"_

_My heart pounded, "Yes. He'd definitely chance it."_

_…._

_A month or so later, I sat in the common room. My hands were shaking from my first encounter in years with my father. I was walking near Hagrid's hut and I saw a black dog out of the corner of my eye. He was quite mangy and had dark, honest eyes. I stopped in my tracks and looked around me. Everyone was either back in the castle, or far enough away that they wouldn't see me or the dog._

_"Sirius?" I asked._

_The dog snarled at me, his eyes narrowing. I dropped my school bag. One thing I'd remembered was that Sirius never really liked it when I called him 'Sirius'. He always said it was too formal and that he's my dad. Although, during a time when mum and I had visited him, he said that 'dad' made him seem old. We never agreed on what to call him, so I always called him dad._

_"Sorry. Dad?" I tried again._

_The dog began to approach me before retreating back into the trees. I stood there in awe. Not knowing exactly what to do. He came back and motioned for me to follow him. I rushed into the trees and watched as he changed into his human form. There he was._

_Definitely escaped, definitely haggard, definitely my dad._

_Now, as my hands had relaxed slightly, I was able to concentrate on the Transfiguration essay in front of me. We were to write about Animagi and put emphasis on how to recognize one and how dangerous it is to become one. I put my quill to my parchment and started my essay. I was about half-way finished, when Harry burst through the portrait hole. I guess his Hogsmeade trip didn't go as well as planned._

_"Where is she? Where is she?"_

_I dropped my quill and felt my heart pound in my chest. Looking around, I'd noticed that other people had stopped what they were doing as well. Hermione, who was following Harry, met my eyes and mouthed for me to go upstairs._

_"Harry," Hermione touched his shoulder. "Please calm down. You're making a scene."_

_I still don't know why I didn't gather my things and go upstairs._

_"Seriously mate, you need to relax," Ron reasoned._

_"Relax?" Harry's eyebrows rose. "How can I relax when she's known this all along? Sarah Jane Stone-Black!"_

_I felt the eyes of everyone in the common room._

_Hermione sighed, "Harry, this is not the place to have this discussion."_

_"Everyone, please leave," I hung my head. When nobody moved I stood up and yelled, "I mean it! Leave Harry and me alone! We have a few things to talk about."_

_A few people left but, in the end, Neville, Seamus, Fred, George, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I were the only ones in the common room._

_"What's your problem?" I questioned._

_Harry raised his eyebrows, "My problem? I would think you'd have the bigger problem. Your father murdered my parents!"_

_"Harry, there's something you have to understand about that. I can't-"_

_"I trusted you, you were my friend. My parents trusted your father, he was their friend. Are you going to betray me just like your father betrayed my parents?"_

_"Of course I won't. My father didn't betray your parents. Sirius-"_

_"Your father is Sirius Black?!" Seamus's eyes widened._

_I sighed, "Guilty."_

_"She's going to be a bloody murderer! Just like her father!" Harry yelled._

_"Please, Harry, there is an explanation," I could feel my cheeks flush. Either I was embarrassed, or I was going to cry. It was the latter. "Harry, you have to know that you are…ugh! I'm under strict orders from Dumbledore, so I can't say. But what I can say is that you will understand soon enough. Well, hopefully. Sirius is not guilty Harry."_

_Neville and Seamus exchanged glances, while Fred and George tried to appear as if they knew nothing about what I was talking about._

_"If any of you are going to drop me as a friend, please tell me now," my eyebrows furrowed._

_"I'll…I'll still be your friend," Neville said timidly. "I'm sure if Dumbledore gave you an order not to say anything, then it's for a good reason."_

_Seamus raised an eyebrow, "I believe you…I suppose."_

_"You know we do Sarah," Fred and George grinned._

_"That's because you know," I muttered._

_Harry folded his arms, "Don't talk to me, Sarah. I can't believe I trusted you. I never want to speak to you again! You're just a liar. You're just like him…"_

_I won't say what else Harry said, but I will say that he made me cry so hard that I wound up falling asleep on the common room couch with the twins._

_…_

_"Sarah."_

_I looked up from my book to see Harry sitting beside me. Closing my book and adjusting my position on the common room couch, I sighed. "What do you want, Potter? Come to accuse me for things I haven't done?"_

_"No," he shook his head._

_"Then what do you want?"_

_Harry placed his lips near my ear and whispered, "I want to tell you that Padfoot is free. Hermione and I freed him and Buckbeak tonight. He's free. Well, for the most part anyway. I mean, he's not in Azkaban anymore so that's good."_

_I paused for a moment. I didn't know if I should thank him or ask if he found out the secret I'd been keeping from him. Harry sat back against the couch and smiled widely at me, waiting patiently for a response._

_"I…Why did you do it?" I finally asked._

_"Because he's not a liar," Harry began, "he's not a murderer, and he's my Godfather."_

_"I've been keeping this from you since I came to Hogwarts. Do you know how hard it was Harry?"_

_"You're right, I don't. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It was out of line."_

_I scoffed, "You bet your ass it was. You were a fucking-"_

_"I know," Harry nodded. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't do anything like that again. It's not fair to you."_

_"Yah, especially since we're God-siblings."_

_His mouth dropped._

_"Your parents were my Godparents, Harry."_

_"Really?"_

_I smiled._

_"Oh, my God," Harry pulled me into a hug._

_As I hugged him back, from that day on, Harry and I made a promise to each other. While we were still God-siblings, we would always look out for and protect each other._

….

"Sarah, wake up!" 

My eyes sprung open to find Fred sitting beside me and George standing over me with his hands on my shoulder. 

"Wake up, Sarah-doll," George smiled. 

Fred brushed hair out of my eyes, "Yeah, we're going to miss breakfast." 

I carefully sat up and felt my head throb, "Guys, my head-" 

"Your voice," they stared at me. "Are you okay?" 

"I…I don't know."


	17. Twice as Clear

"Sarah, what happened to your voice?" 

Hermione looked at me, her eyebrows knitted tightly together as she waited for a response. I put down my spoon and shrugged. 

"Are you sick?" Ron asked. 

I shrugged again. Each time I tried to say something, my voice came out in a raspy whisper. Fred placed his hand on my forehead and George placed the back of his hand against my cheek. 

"She feels warm," they announced. 

George looked at Fred, "Dumbledore did say she'd get sick."

"I know," Fred bit his lip. "I didn't think it'd be this soon." 

"I don't think it's because of that," I shook my head. "It's probably a headache from the pain of last night. I don't know." 

"How badly does your throat hurt?" they asked. 

I thought about it for a moment before shrugging once more. "A lot I guess. I mean, I was screaming all night thanks to you two." 

Harry erupted in laughter. "Wow, Sarah! I had no idea that you were into that. You never struck me as a girl who liked threesomes, especially with twins." 

Ron began to cough, Hermione and Ginny stared at us with wide eyes, and the twins' faces flushed. Leave it to Harry to find something naughty in the simplest conversation.

I could feel my cheeks redden, "It's not like that, Harry! They cleaned my back and it hurt, so I screamed." 

"Uh huh, right."

"Harry." 

"Okay, whatever you say Sarah." 

He winked at me and I rolled my eyes. Placing my hand on my forehead, I leaned my elbow on the table and closed my eyes. My head was throbbing like it did this morning. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Fred stroked my hair.

I shook my head, opening my eyes. 

"Sarah, do you want to go lie down?" George rubbed my shoulder.

Before I could answer, a black owl landed in front of me. I looked up and noticed many other owls floating through, dropping packages and letters to their owners. I was so out of it today that I didn't realize it was mail time. Normally, I was eagerly expecting a letter or something from my mum. The black owl hooted gently to get my attention. 

I sighed, "Sorry Minx. I'm not feeling too well today. Did you bring me good news?" 

Minx leaned to his right with his left leg outstretched so I could un-tie the furled parchment from his foot. Once I removed it, he leaned forward and gently bit my finger. I pet his feathers.

"Thanks for not biting me too hard." 

He hooted and flew away. Minx was sort of our family's owl. My dad used him when we conversed after he'd gotten out of Azkaban and now that he was gone, Minx was mine. I liked him. The only problem was that he bit your finger if he liked you. Most of the time he did it hard enough to make you bleed, but today I guess he was feeling sympathetic.

"What did your mum send you?" Harry asked. 

I unfurled the parchment and read my mom's writing. She was hoping that I was well, had heard about my accident, and wanted me to write back if I was feeling up to it. I smiled and tucked the letter into my robes. 

"A letter," I replied. "She wants to know how I am." 

Harry smiled as the twins gasped. In front of Fred sat a red envelope and in front of George sat an identical envelope. I covered my mouth. Mrs. Weasley had sent them each a Howler. 

"I told you! I knew it was only a matter of time," Ginny grinned. 

"Two?" Neville raised his eyebrows. 

"One for Fred, one for George," Seamus reasoned. 

"Knowing Mrs. Weasley, she'd send two Howlers to make the message twice as clear," Angelina folded her arms. 

"Exactly," I nodded.

"Go on, open it!" Ron pressed. "The longer you wait the worse it will be." 

Fred and George exchanged glances before picking up their envelopes and opening them both at once. 

"Frederick Matthew Weasley!" Fred's Howler jumped back.

"George Andrew Weasley!" George's Howler jumped back as well, echoing his twins. 

Both Howlers rose together; Fred's forming into a mouth in front of his face while George's did the same to him. Together the Howlers yelled in Mrs. Weasley's voice simultaneously. George's echoed everything Fred's said, making the sound of the Howler twice as loud and twice as angry.

"What have I told you about pranking? She is your friend and look what you have done to her! Do you think what you've done is harmless? The damage you have done to her isn't going wear off as quickly as the spells you cast! How is it that the two of you managed to come up with a prank that would make her seriously ill?! Oh, and don't even begin to think I forgot about the Willow! You two had better thank your lucky stars that Sarah's back was not your fault! Frederick and George you have made me so furious I cannot see straight! If you ever so much as think about doing something like this again to her I will personally bring you straight home! I have never, in all my years of raising you, been so disappointed!" 

Fred and George stared at the Howlers with wide eyes, their faces completely drained. I watched as the Howlers faced me and began to speak kindly. 

"Sarah, Arthur and I deeply apologize for Frederick and George. If they give you any more trouble, any at all, don't hesitate to contact me."

The Howlers returned to their places in front of the twins faces, blew a raspberry, and quickly demolished themselves. Fred and George remained still, their faces not showing any other emotion than utter shock. 

I rubbed my eyes, "I think I'm gonna go back to our suite. 'Mione?" 

Hermione looked up, "Yes, Sarah?" 

"Can you get my assignments and-"

"I'll give them to Fred and George after classes. Go rest." 

Standing up, I staggered out of the Great Hall and dragged myself up the stairs. I felt tired, my throat felt like I'd swallowed a lit match, and my head felt extremely light. I don't remember how, but somehow I'd managed to get back to the blue lady. Saying the password, I went through the portrait hole and straight to my room. The room spun as I removed my skirt and unbuttoned my top. 

"I should have asked Fred and George to accompany me," I moaned. 

I stepped into my pajama pants and pulled them up to my waist. Ignoring the slight burning that was radiating from my back, I put on an old, oversized shirt and got into bed. I closed my eyes and sighed. Maybe I'd feel better after a nap.


	18. A Wedding

George sat in Defense Against the Dark Arts with his twin, both of them trying to grasp what their latest teacher was talking about. He glanced over at Fred, who looked just as confused as he did. George sighed and began to think about Sarah. Sweet Sarah. He hoped she was feeling better than she did at breakfast, but he knew she wasn't. If anything, she was probably worse.

"Oi, Fred," he whispered to his twin, "D'ya reckon we should check on Sarah throughout the day?" 

"Definitely," Fred whispered. "I'm worried about her mate." 

"I'll check on her before lunch and you'll check on her before our last class?"

"Sounds good." 

George yawned and cradled his head in his hands. After the back cleaning last night, neither he nor Fred had gotten much sleep. Fred had slept during their first class while George had stayed vigilant. He closed his eyes. Hopefully Fred would pay attention and take notes while he rested his eyes for a moment. 

…

_George adjusted the collar on his black tuxedo as he stood in the chapel waiting for his bride. Music entered his ears and butterflies fluttered inside his stomach when he looked around. The pews were full of not only his family, but hers as well. He couldn't believe this day had finally come. Suddenly, the chapel doors opened. There she was, wearing a beautiful gown and veil._

_"She's gorgeous," George whispered._

_He looked to his left and saw Fred, who gave him thumbs up and smiled. When he looked to his right, he saw Hermione who dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, smiling through her tears. George watched as his bride stood next to him. He turned to face her and he did the same. The priest said a few words before the bride held out her left hand. George placed a ring on her finger and she did the same to him. The next thing he knew, they were pronounced husband and wife._

_The priest grinned, "You may now kiss the bride."_

_Eager to see his new wife, George lifted the veil, revealing a girl with brown eyes, curly black hair, and fair skin. His heart began to pound as he pulled Sarah into a passionate kiss, sealing their marriage.  
.._

_George carried Sarah to their bed and laid her down, placing his legs on either side of her._

_"I love you George," Sarah kissed him, her hands pulling her hands pulling up dress._

_"I love you too," he grinned against her lips. "Sarah-doll."_

_She arched her back, her chest rubbing against his, "Mm, how much?"_

_"Let me show you."_

_George's hands roamed down her sides and around to her front. Sarah gasped at the feeling of his hands between her legs. He smirked before placing his lips on the base of her neck. Her head rolled over to her right shoulder while he nipped every so often at her skin._

_"George…mm…"_

_He felt her hands unzip his pants and enter his boxers. He moaned inwardly, "Sarah…"_

_"George…George… God, George!"_

….

"George, get up!" Fred shoved his twin. "George!" 

Sitting up straight, George wipes his eyes and looked at his twin, "Huh?"

"Class is over mate." 

"Sorry, must've dozed off." 

"It's okay, let's get a move on or we'll be late for Transfiguration." 

George grabbed his belongings and followed this twin into the hallway. He couldn't believe the dream he had. He married Sarah. He married Sarah. Hell, not only did he marry her but they were about to shag.

"Bloody hell," George muttered. 

Fred furrowed his brow, "What?" 

"Nothing." 

"Something." 

"Nothing." 

Fred grew quiet for a moment before asking, "This wouldn't happen to be about the dream you were having, would it?" 

"What dream?" George avoided his glance. 

"Oh come off it!" Fred smirked. "You were practically moaning in your sleep." 

George's eyes widened, "I wasn't loud was I?" 

"No, no one heard you but me. But, you were on the verge of an erection." 

"Fred!" George stopped. 

"George!" Fred mimicked.

"Can we get off this subject?" George began to walk up the stairs. "I'd rather not be badgered right now." 

Fred followed, "I understand….so you _were_ dreaming of Sarah, then?" 

"Yes. I mean, no!"

"Ha! I knew it. What happened? You two were shagging we know that much." 

"We weren't shagging!" George said a little too loudly, receiving a few stares. He lowered his voice, "For you information, we'd just got married and we were about to start our wedding night." 

"I bet you were," Fred chuckled. "Aww, Georgie's got a girlfriend." 

George shook his head, "Sarah's not my girlfriend." 

"Not yet, but at this rate, it's only a matter of time before you'll want to act on these little fantasies you're having about the Prank Princess." Fred draped his arm around his twin's shoulders causing George to groan."You're showing all the signs I showed when I realized that I was head over hills for Angelina. Face it George, you're in love." 

"You've got to promise me something Fred." 

"What's that?" 

"You've got to promise me you won't tell Sarah that I'm in love with her. She can't know."

"What?" Fred scoffed. "No." 

George frowned, "Please, Fred?" 

"Fine." 

"Thank you!" 

"Sure," Fred nodded. "Can I say something?" 

"Go ahead," smiled George. 

"Thank you." Fred took a deep breath before singing, "George and Sarah laying on a tree, s-h-a-g-"

"Fred!" 

"Kidding! Just kidding."


	19. Love?

Curled up on the couch with a blanket around me, I stared at the fire. My throat wasn't hurting anymore and nor was my head, thanks to my nap. However, my nose was now stuffy and I was certain I had fever. 

I picked up my wand, "Accio CD player." 

A moment later, my portable CD player floated into the room and landed gently beside me. Harry had told me about the iPod, but I told him I liked having my CD player. I never really wanted an iPod for fear that I'd accidently break it. Placing my earbuds in my ears, I clicked a couple of buttons and smiled when the song picked up where it left off. 

_He ain't got his hands tied. No chains to unlock, so free to do what he wants. He's into what he's got. He loves me, he loves you not._

Completely content with my 90s CD and my blanket, I turned my attention the decorated cigar box that sat on the table in front of me. After rummaging in my trunk earlier, I'd finally found it. That box was my hiding place for anything that I'd deemed important over the years. Lifting the lid, I looked at its contents. A locket with my initials on it that was given to me at birth, a few parchment letters from my father, a lucky rabbit's foot charm, a rose-shaped barrette that Fred and George gave me my fourth year for Christmas, and a few photos. I thumbed through the letters until I found the one I was looking for. Unfolding it, I began to read its contents aloud.

_"Dear Sarah,_

_It's good to hear that things are going well for you during your fourth year at Hogwarts. I hope your classmates are treating you well. Your mother's told me that you're practically glued to the Weasley twins. For that, I have to say stick with them Sarah. Having them around will brighten your spirits. Continue to help them with pranks. After all, pranks are in your blood. I wouldn't be surprised if you've taken a fancy to one of them. Anyway, I miss you and your mother, and often think of you. Be safe, sweetie-bear._

_With all the love in my heart, Sirius._ " 

I sighed and placed the letter back in the cigar box. Sometimes, I think my father knew more than he was letting off. That line about fancying one of the twins always ran through my head. He practically gave me his blessing to date one of them, yet I'd never acted on it. I never even thought about the twins as a possible love interest. 

"Am I even ready to love?" I asked myself. 

_Nutty-nutty-nutty my love for you, I can’t believe my dreams come true. I’ve finally found somebody whose heart is true and best of all you’re nutty-nutty-nutty for me._

I put the cigar box back on the table and rubbed my eyes. I'd tried falling in 'love' before. Last time I did, I wound up dating Draco. I groaned at the thought of it. To this day, I still couldn't believe that I'd dated Malfoy. I don't know what on Earth I was thinking to be honest. I think I was desperate for love. I mean, not only was he like my first or second cousin, but he was a rude, self-absorbed Slytherin who wanted to piss "daddy" off. Unfortunately, I was a Gryffindor and I was his kin so I made a perfect candidate for someone who would "teach father a lesson". 

All the signs said 'no', but the two of us said 'yes'.

We were third years and we went steady for about four months. I think he was happy and I was too, until I caught him with his tongue down the throat of a Slytherin first year. Needless to say, even though I got my heart broken, I came quickly to my senses afterwards. 

_I'll give you everything on this I swear, just promise you'll always be there!_

I turned the volume up and began to sing along. "I'm giving you everything all that joy can bring, this I swear. And, all that I want from you is a promise you will be there." I stopped singing and groaned, "Where are Fred and George? I'm fucking bored. I need human contact." 

With my CD player in hand, I walked back to my room to change into a pair of yoga pants and my Holyhead Harpies sweatshirt. After pulling my hair into frizzy bun, I placed my CD player into my sweatshirt pocket and entered the common room again. 

_Gotta let me in, hey, hey, hey, let the fun begin. Hey, I'm a wolf today. Hey, hey, hey, I'll huff, I'll puff, I'll huff, I'll puff, I'll blow you away! Say you won't, say you'll do what I don't. Say the truth, say to me: c'est la vie!_

It wasn't long before I was dancing around the common room. "Say you will. Say you won't. Say you'll do what I don't. Say the truth, say to me: c'est la vie! Do you play with the girls, play with the boys? Do you ever get lonely playing with your toys? We can talk, we can sing. I'll be the queen and you'll be the king. Hey boy, in your tree, throw down your ladder, make a room for me. I got a house with windows and doors-" 

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." 

My heart pounded at the voice in my ear. I whipped around quickly to find George standing behind me, a wide smirk on his lips. 

"George!" I gasped. "How long have you been there?" 

He chuckled, "Long enough. Oh, and for the record, Fred and I play with the girls and we do get lonely playing with our toys." 

I felt my cheeks redden. 

"You didn't realize that that song was dirty did you?" 

"I did. I mean, I really like that song. When I was younger, I'd listen to this song for hours. It wasn't until I got older that I noticed how dirty it actually is." 

"Right," George nodded. "So, how are you feeling Sarah?"

I yanked my other earbud out, "If you can tell, I'm bored. Plus, I've got a stuffy nose and it's like an igloo in here." 

George placed his hand on my forehead, but drew it back as quickly as he had put it there. "Sarah-doll, you're burning up!" 

"Am I? I thought so." 

"You should be resting."

"I just had a nap, George," I assured him. 

"You should at least lie down," he insisted. 

"George-"

"Seriously Sarah, it will make me feel better if you lie down."

I sighed, "Oh, alright." 

George smiled as I gathered my cigar box and CD player and headed to my room. Once in bed, I propped myself up with pillows. I grinned to myself. I'd forgotten how comfortable the bed was. 

"Thank you Sarah-doll," George sat beside me. "Now, is there anything you need while I'm here? I can't stay long 'cause I have to get to potions." 

I waved my hand, "I'm fine, go to potions. I don't want you to get a detention." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Positive." 

George leaned forward and kissed my forehead, "See you later Sarah." 

"See you later," I smiled. 

As I watched him leave my room, my heart skipped a beat. I touched the place where he'd kissed me and felt light and fluttery. It was like the feeling I'd had when I was with Malfoy, only ten times greater, ten times truer. 

I shook my head at myself, "No. I can't be…" 

Ignoring my thoughts, I placed my earbuds back in my ears, allowing the song to take my mind off of what I thought I was feeling about George. 

_At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love_


	20. Sicker Secret

_"Oh God…Sarah!"_

_My body arched against him, "George!"_

_"I love you, Sarah-doll," he whispered in my ear._

_"I love you too," I breathed._

_I glanced briefly at our wedding garments on the floor and smiled. George smiled back. We took each other's lips hungrily. George pushed forward again, his hands grabbing my hips as he continued to drive into me._

_"Sarah…mmm…" his eyes closed._

_My lips parted, "George…"_

_"Sarah…Sarah…"_

"Sarah, wake up!" 

I sat upright. What the bloody hell was all of that about? I'd never had an erotic dream about anyone before, let alone about Fred or George. Touching my forehead, I felt the start of a cold sweat and a continuation of a fever. 

"Sarah," Fred sat on the bed, "are you all right?" 

My eyes looked at a man with red hair and a worried expression, "Fred, what are you doing here?" 

"You didn't come to lunch so I decided to check on you a bit early. You look complete done in." He placed his hand on my forehead but quickly withdrew it. "You're burning up!" 

That didn't surprise me. I lay back against my pillows and conjured a tissue, blowing my now stuffy nose. 

"Someone's got a cold," Fred conjured more tissues for me. 

"Someone's prank got out of hand," I snapped, but quickly regretted it. "I'm sorry." 

"Not to worry, Princess. I completely deserved that." 

"That doesn't mean I should treat you like you're a prat. Don't you have a class?" 

"I have a few minutes before I need to be there," Fred tucked the blankets around me. "It's a good thing that I came when I did, you were moaning in your sleep." 

I felt myself blush and wondered if he could tell. "Was I?" 

Fred nodded. 

"Great." 

"You moaning in your sleep…it remind me that I want to tell you something Sarah. The problem is that I gave George my word that I wouldn't say anything to you." 

"Well then, you should keep to that word," I suggested. "You shouldn't tell me unless it's something really serious." 

"I think it's something that you need to know." 

"Tell me then." 

Fred apologized to George under his breath before he began to explain what had happened during Defense Against the Dark Arts. I listened intently with my legs folded until he finished his story. He rubbed the back of his neck, "So, yeah, I just thought you should know." 

"George…" I swallowed dryly, "George fancies me?" 

"Yes." 

"And he told you this?" 

"Yes. He told me himself. He said 'I'm in love with Sarah. She can't know.'" 

I rubbed my eyes, "Blimey. He dreamt he was shagging me?" 

"Yes," Fred touched my shoulder. "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"I'm all right." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, perfectly all right. I'm glad you told me though." 

"Well, if you're sure." 

I have a reassuring smile, "I am. Now, get to class. A detention is the last thing you need."

"Oh! Right you are!" He kissed my forehead. "See you later, Sarah. Try to get some rest, yeah?" 

"I'll try. Bye," I waved. 

Fred waved back and left my room. I listened for the suite door to close before touching my forehead. The place where he had kissed me didn't have the same fluttery feel that it did when George had kissed me. When Fred had told me about George's feelings for me, my heart began to jump. 

I couldn't believe it. I had feelings for George Weasley. He and Fred were my best friends and had been from my first day at Hogwarts. I couldn't be in love with him. But I had to be in love with him, what else would explain the tingle when George kissed my forehead? Or the pounding in my heart whenever he hugged or kissed me or said my name? Or the dream I had about him?

Closing my eyes, I whispered his name. "George." 

The mere mention of his name and I felt light. There was no doubt about it. I fancied George Weasley. Now the only question was how do I handle it? Do I tell George how I feel? Do I keep it to myself? I lay back down. I was definitely going to have to sleep on this.


	21. All Better

Over the course of a few days, Sarah's condition worsened. Her nose wouldn't stop running, her throat remained sore, and her sinuses hurt so badly that she could barely lift her head without feeling like it was going to pop. When she was feeling well enough, she tried to finish the stacks of homework that was growing by her bedside. She occasionally went to meals but mostly she slept through them or wasn't hungry. Fred and George continued to check on her during the day and clean her back at night all the while hoping that she would get better. According to the Headmaster, she was only supposed to be sick for about a week, but the twins weren't convinced. In their eyes, she looked worse and worse every day. 

"Sarah," George entered her room. 

"Princess, are you alright?" Fred followed. 

A sneeze erupted from a pile of tissues revealing a weak girl, with a red nose and black hair as greasy as Snape's. "Fred, George, is that you?" 

"We're here," Fred sat on her bed.

George conjured the tissues away, "How are you feeling?" 

"I feel better than I have in days," Sarah sat up, propping herself up with two pillows. "My sinuses don't hurt anymore but my nose won't stop running." 

"That's good," they smiled. "We were beginning to worry." 

She shook her head, "Don't worry." 

"We have to," George began. "We care about you-" 

"-and it's our fault that you're like this," Fred finished. 

"Not to worry though, we talked to Dumbledore-"

"-he said you should be feeling better by Monday." 

"Good enough to go back to class?" Sarah raised her eyebrows.

"Yes! You have no idea how happy we were to hear that," George rubbed the back of his neck. 

Fred nodded, "You've been looking awful Princess." 

"Thanks," she sneezed. "I'm tired of being sick. What day is it?" 

"Saturday," the twins answered. 

"Brilliant! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait until Monday. Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense and, best of all, Potions." 

"I'm sorry," Fred stuck his pinky in his ear, "Did you just say best of all Potions?" 

George felt her forehead, "She doesn't have a fever anymore." 

Sarah laughed, "I meant it. I sort of like potion and I'm good at it which means Snape doesn't bitch at me." 

"Speak for yourself," Fred and George scoffed. 

"We're about to go to lunch," Fred smiled. 

"Do you want to join us?" George offered. 

"No," Sarah stretched. "I'm not hungry, you two go ahead." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes." 

"Alright," they shrugged, "suite yourself." 

Fred and George each kissed her forehead before leaving her to her own devices. As soon as they were out of Sarah's earshot, George pulled his twin over to the couches. 

"What are you doing?" Fred asked. "I thought we were going to lunch." 

"Can your stomach wait for five seconds?" George knit his eyebrows. "I have to tell you something important." 

Fred sat down and looked at his twin worriedly. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. "What's wrong, George?" 

"Fred," he began nervously, "I had another dream about Sarah." 

"You two weren't shagging were you? Cause, no offense, but I don't want to-" 

"No. We weren't shagging…she was _pregnant._ " 

Fred stopped, "Pregnant?" 

"Pregnant," George lowered his voice. 

"Sarah was pregnant…with your child?" 

"I'm assuming so. I mean, okay. We were in this beautiful house in our bedroom, there was a Healer there. I don't remember much but all I know is that the Healer smiled at us and said that Sarah was pregnant. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the couch reading the Daily Prophet, and Sarah walked into the living room. Her stomach was as big as mum's was when she was pregnant with Ginny." Fred chuckled and George continued, "Anyway, I asked her if she was feeling all right and then she started screaming and told me that she was feeling contractions and that was it." 

Fred's eyes were wide, "Whoa." 

"Yeah," George ran a hand through his hair. "Every night or every time I go to sleep, I have dreams about Sarah. All these dreams, it's got to mean something doesn't it?" 

"I don't know mate. That's a Professor Trelawney question." 

"Maybe these dreams mean we're going to be together?" 

"Again, I don't know mate. Though, that's not completely out of the question. I mean, you fancy her and all, the two of you could end up together." 

"True, especially if she fancies me too." 

"Exactly," Fred touched George's shoulder. "Hey, cheer up, who knows, maybe Sarah likes you back."

"Yeah," George sighed. "Maybe."


	22. Laughter

By the time Monday came around, I was feeling much better. There were no signs that I had had a cold, and I was fully restored to my old self…well, sort of anyway. My emotions were getting the best of me. During classes, I would feel happy one moment about being able to sit in class, then I'd be angry at myself for missing class, but then I'd feel neutral minutes later. I spent half of my day trying to figure out why I was acting so strangely. Half of me said that my mood swings had something to do with the prank Fred and George had pulled on me. However, two other parts of me said that it could be my bloody hell or the dreams I'd been having about a Mr. George Weasley. After checking my planner a few times to reassure myself, I'd ruled out the possibility of it being my bloody hell and decided that it was probably side effects from the prank. Besides, there was no way that certain dreams about marrying, shagging, and procreating with George were making me have mood swings.

Anyway, when I'd finished with my last class, I went to the dungeons to make up a potions test I'd missed. I'd read over the instructions several times the night before, looked over the notes Hermione wrote me, and even wrote a couple notes in the margins of my potions book. By the time, I got behind my cauldron with Professor Snape standing in front of me, I was feeling downright cocky. 

"All right Miss Black," Snape folded his arms. "I trust you are prepared for your test?" 

I nodded with a smile, "Yes, Professor Snape." 

"Very good. You are to create a proper sleeping draft antidote." 

My smile slipped into a smirk. I had this in the bag. There was no doubt I was going to pass. 

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Is something amusing?" 

"Not at all, Professor Snape," I shook my head.

"How unbelievably like your father you are." 

"Indeed, I am. Can I start now?" 

Snape looked as if he were trying to decide whether he should retaliate to my comment by taking points for Gryffindor or give me a detention. Instead, he pursed his lips, "Yes. You have thirty minutes." 

Without a moment's hesitation, I gladly began brewing the antidote. The cocky feeling began to wear away as I added Flobberworm mucus to my potion so I flipped to page 245 and reread the instructions. Next, I had to stir the ingredients clockwise four times and counter clockwise eight times while adding three leeches. There was no way I was going to remember this. Unless… 

"Four clock, eight counter, three leeches," I sang softly to myself. "Four clock, eight counter, three leeches." 

I continued to sing this until I added the last leech. My eyes scanned the instructions and created the next line of my potions song. I was actually beginning to feel confident rather than cocky. 

"Boomslang skin, eye of newt, and seven porcupine quills," I sang. "Boomslang skin, eye of newt, and seven-" 

"What on Earth are you doing?"

I jumped at Snape's presence. When did he leave his desk? "I'm just brewing a potion, Professor Snape." 

"And brewing a potion requires singing, Miss Black?" When I said nothing in response, he smirked. "I didn't think so." 

"Sorry Professor." 

"Do not do it again," Snape warned. 

Silently, I added the final three ingredients to my potion. As I watched my cauldron bubble, I felt my mood begin to change again. No longer was I feeling confident. 

I shakily raised my hand, "Professor Snape, I think my potion's done." 

"Very well, then." He gave a nod. 

I quickly moved out of his way, feeling my palms begin to sweat. While Snape looked over my potion, I chewed on my lip. I felt like I was going to cry and waiting was making the feeling worse. Suddenly, Snape spoke up. 

"Excellent job, Miss Black. You, Miss Granger, and the Patil twins seem to be the only ones in your class who can successfully create a proper sleeping draft antidote." Snape informed me. "For this, as much as I regret to say this, you receive twenty-five points to Gryffindor."

"Did Hermione, Padma, and Parvati also get twenty-five points added to Gryffindor?" I questioned. 

Snape looked slightly annoyed, "Yes." 

I became overrun with emotion. I couldn't believe it. Not only had I got the potion right, but I'd managed to collect points for my house. Before I realized what was happening, I wrapped my arms around Snape's waist. 

He gasped angrily, "Miss Black! I'd advise you to remove your arms immediately." 

"I'm sorry Professor, but I'm just so…happy! Thank you so much!" 

"Yes. Now, remove your arms before I retract points from your house." 

"Anything you ask," I did as I was told. "After all, you passed me Professor." 

Snape, who looked more than a little uncomfortable, adjusted his clothing, "I can fail you just as easily as I passed you." 

I looked at him with wide eyes. Then, for some reason or another, I started laughing. While laughing wasn't the best choice at that moment, I couldn't help myself. It was just so funny. 

"What, may I ask, is so funny Miss Black?" 

I giggled madly, "I don't know!" 

He looked down at me, his face just as cold as ever. "Miss Black, stop that infernal laughing." 

But I didn't. My laugh became harder and more painful. I doubled over, holding my stomach as laughter exited my mouth. I couldn't stop. 

My lips were forced into a smile. "Professor, make it stop!" 

Snape grabbed my arm, leading my trembling body out of the dungeon. I laughed and laughed as he practically dragged me through the halls. 

"Professor, where are we going?" I chuckled. 

"Headmaster Dumbledore warned me that your disposition would become a problem. He advised me not to take you to him, but to instead find the Weasley twins. After all, you are _their_ problem at the present time." 

I could only laugh in response as the doors to the Great Hall opened. Since dinner was in an hour and a half, there were a few people from each house at their tables playing Wizard's Chess, studying, or just hanging out. Of course, all eyes were on me when Snape and I entered the room. 

Catching the eye of Fred and George, I waved. "Hello boys." 

Snape stopped in front of them, let go of my arm, and left the Great Hall without an explanation to the twins. I wobbled for a moment before falling forward on my hands and knees. Fred helped me up while George, who was sitting on the other side of the table, rushed over to us. 

"Sarah, are you all right?" Fred looked worried. 

George frowned, "Sarah-doll, are you okay?" 

I shook my head, laughs still erupting from my body. Fred and George exchanged glances before focusing on me again. 

"Make…it…stop!" I panted. 

"We don't know how," explained Fred.

"Try!" 

George opened his mouth to retort just as another laugh wracked my body. I began to sway unsteadily and ultimately lost my balance. Thinking fast, I grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop myself from falling backward. Before I knew it, I was lying on my back with George on top of me. 

I giggled, "Sorry, George." 

"It's alright," he smiled. 

Another laugh escaped my lips. George looked down at me and I looked up at him. Our noses were touching and seconds later, so were our lips. We kissed just like we had many times before in the dreams I'd had. Our eyes closed and his lips molded against mine. He touched the side of my face, pressing his lips firmly enough for me to feel his passion but gently enough for me to want more. Moments later, we pulled away from each other. Our breathing rough, our eyes fluttered open, and my laughing had ceased 

"I'm sorry," George whispered. 

Fred smiled, "Sarah, you stopped laughing!" 

I looked up, glanced between Fred and George. Something wasn't right. I wasn't laughing anymore, but I felt another emotion. My eyes began to well up and I felt like there was a lump in my throat. If people weren't staring at me while I was laughing, they were definitely staring at me now that I was crying. 

I let out a sob, "Oh, George."


	23. Emotional Touches

"Sarah, what did I do?" George sat beside me on the couch. "Please stop crying." 

Fred sat on my opposite side, "Yeah, Princess, please?" 

"I can't," I sobbed. "I told you both that I can't stop." 

"Well," Fred began, "if you can't stop-" 

"-can you at least tell us why you're crying?" George touched my shoulder. 

Shaking my head, I wiped my eyes with my thumbs. "My emotions have been wonky all day. One minute I'm happy, the next I'm utterly depressed. It's like I can go from furious to fine in five minutes."

Fred and George leaned backward and exchanged nervous glances. I rolled my eyes. I hated when they did that. I knew that they were hoping I wouldn't notice, but of course, like always, I did. 

"You know I don't like it when you two do that." I wiped my nose. "What is it that you're not telling me?" 

George folded his hands, "Uh, Sarah-" 

"-the prank we pulled on you-" continued Fred. 

"-it made you sick and now-" 

I rested my head in my hands, "I know it's supposed to make me moody." 

"You do?" They asked. 

"Yes. Having mood swings doesn't bother me much, but I just wish that…I don't know. I just wish that there was a way to control it." 

"Do you reckon there's a way to control it?" Fred raised his eyebrows. 

I nodded. 

"But how-" George stopped. "Sarah." 

"Yes?" 

"You've stopped crying." 

I touched my cheeks and blinked. No more tears. "Blimey, you're right."

"Do you feel sad anymore?" 

"Not at all, but how?" I chewed my lip. "Let's think, what happened before I stopped crying?" 

"Well, we came to the suite and I sat on the couch. You two were pacing and telling me jokes behind the couch. Then, when that didn't work, George sat down and Fred, you sat down. Then George touched my shoulder-" 

"That's it!" George snapped. 

"What's it?" Fred and I asked. 

"Sarah was laughing until I kissed her, then she started crying. After that, she was crying until I touched her shoulder." 

I furrowed my brow, "I still don't follow."

"Don't you see? I kiss you, your mood changes. When I touched your shoulder, your mood changed. It all has to do with-"

"-touching." Fred finished with wide eyes. "It all has to do with touching you. But I reckon it's mostly when affections involved-"

"-like kissing or hugs or reassuring touches on the shoulder." 

As badly as I wanted to laugh at that last statement, I couldn't. There was nothing I could say. It was all too ridiculous. "Not possible," I whispered. 

George sighed, "Yes, it is." 

"It can't be."

"Yes, it can," Fred retorted. 

"Then, prove it." 

George wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. Not seconds later, I wriggled out of his grasp and pushed him away from me. 

"Don't touch me!" I screamed. "Both of you leave me alone!" 

I moved away from the twins in attempt to get as far from them as possible. I was so angry with them and I wasn't sure why. Of course, when I turned around, they were behind me. 

"We can't do that Sarah," Fred smirked. "We're trying to prove a point." 

"Actually, we just did," George matched his twin's expression. "You're angry now, all because I hugged you."

"Hug her again and see what happens." 

"NO!" I faced them. "You will not touch me! I want nothing to do with the two of you!" 

Fred sighed, "It's two against one, Princess."

"Leave me alone!" Picking up a nearby candlestick holder, I threw it at them.

Fred and George dodged it, "What did we do to you?" 

"I said 'go'!" 

Just as I picked up another candlestick holder, George pulled me into another hug. I closed my eyes and dropped the blunt object. I wasn't angry anymore. 

"Sarah," Fred's voice trembled, "are you better?" 

I nodded. 

George pulled away, "How do you feel?" 

"Guilty, remorseful, I'm not sure. I shouldn't have thrown things at you two. You didn't deserve it. You both were right about the touching and my moods. I'm sorry." 

"It's quite fine," Fred shrugged. 

"No, it's not." I rubbed my arm. "I'm awful." 

"You're not," George reassured me. 

"You know how the two of you said that touching changes my moods?" 

"Yeah," they nodded. 

"Maybe it's just touches from George that affect me." 

Fred walked up to me, "Well, let's try it out Sarah." 

I stiffened at his use of my name. He waggled his eyebrows and placed his hands firmly on my waist. Without warning, he planted his lips against mine. 

"Oh my goodness," I giggled. "Fred." 

"Yes?" He smiled. 

Grabbing his wrist, I pulled him towards my bedroom. "I want more!" 

His smile faded slightly, "Uh, Sarah, I don't think I'm the right twin-" 

I ignored him and pushed him onto my bed before straddling him. All the while, George looked slightly enraged, if not jealous. He had it bad for me and here I was on top of his twin. With my emotions the way they were, I didn't really have control. I felt bad, but it was quickly taken over by my new amorous emotion. 

"Fred," I kissed his cheek, his ear, his neck. "You…are…amazing." 

"Sarah," he frowned. "Come here." 

Doing as I was told, I received my second kiss from Fred. We pulled away moments later and I felt back to normal. Looking down at the position I was in, I quickly got off of Fred. 

"I'm so sorry!" I apologized.

George looked upset but said, "Nothing to be sorry about." 

"I can't believe I did that." 

"It's fine, Princess." Fred sat up. "Relax." 

"You're sure?" 

"Yes," George tried to smile. 

"Positive?" 

"Yes," they agreed.

"Okay," I ran a hand through my hair. "Well, at least one good thing has come of this. We now know how to control my emotions."


	24. Realization

"Georgie Porgie pudding and pie kissed Sarah and made her cry." 

A group of seventh years in green-lined black robes laughed as they walked past Gryffindor table. 

George groaned, "I wish they'd stop."

"They'll forget George," Fred touched his shoulder. 

"They're Slytherins. Slytherins are like elephants. They never forget."

Harry suppressed a laugh, "Especially once they find something clever to tease someone with." 

"Did you seriously 'kiss Sarah and make her cry'?" Hermione looked curious. 

"Yes," Sarah nodded. 

"Every time we touch her-" Fred explained.

"-her mood changes." George finished.

"Right," Ron scoffed. "Nice try you two, but not likely." 

"We're serious!" Fred pressed. "Just watch."

Fred turned to left and cupped Sarah's cheeks in his hands. Sarah, taken by surprise, swallowed her mouthful of pumpkin juice and stared up at him with wide eyes. After a moment, Fred let go. 

Sarah coughed, "What was that about? At least give me a warning before you grab my face."

"Sorry," Fred grinned sheepishly. "Are you angry?"

"No. I have the same mood as when I came in here. I'm normal."

"You're sure?"

Sarah gave a nod.

"That's odd," George furrowed his brow.

"I told you it wasn't possible," Ron smirked. 

"Why didn't your mood change when I touched you?" Fred asked.

"Dunno." Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "You said when we were experimenting that it has to with-"

"Affection. Blimey, Princess, you're right! I forgot."

"I didn't." George muttered glumly, hoping that no one had heard.

But Fred and Sarah did. Fred gave George an apologetic glance. Sarah wanted to give George an identical glance, but she knew she couldn't. If she did, it might out the fact that Fred had told her about George's feelings for her. So she pretended that she didn't hear what he had said, and took to cutting her pork chops instead. 

"I still don't think it's likely," said Ron. 

George reached for Sarah's hand under the table. He quickly took her left hand in his right, laced his fingers with hers, and squeezed it gently. Sarah looked at him, trying hard not to blush as he raised their hands above the table. 

"How do you feel Sarah?" George raised an eyebrow, letting go of her hand.

Sarah chewed her lip, "I'm so...anxious."

"Nervous?" Fred matched his twin's expression.

"Yes! What if Bellatrix wants to come after me, too?" She grew frantic. "What if she sends Death Eaters after me? What will I do? Harry will have to start DA lessons again-"

Fred gave her a quick hug, and then took to stroking her hair gently. "Sarah, relax. Nothing is going to happen." 

Sarah took a breath, "I'm sorry. What were we talking about?" 

"See?" He smiled. "I told you so!" 

Ron blinked, "Wow." 

"That's incredible. But why does it only work when feelings are involved?" Harry questioned

Fred and George shook their heads, "We're not sure."

"Well," Hermione thought aloud. "You two care about Sarah, so maybe that's why her emotions change when you touch her." 

"You're brilliant 'Mione." 

"Not brilliant, just rational."

"So Fred and George," Harry took a bite of a roll, "have you made Sarah angry yet?"

Fred and George's eyes widened, "Yes."

"How angry did she get?" 

"She threw candlestick holders at us." 

Ron gave a snort, "Wicked."

....

After dinner, Sarah, Fred, and George went back to their suite. While Sarah retreated to her room to prepare for her back cleaning, George pulled Fred aside. 

"What did you and Princess do in your dreams now?" Fred smirked. "More shagging I suppose?" 

"I can't touch Sarah," George said in a low voice.

Fred stopped, "What do you mean George? Of course you can." 

"No, I can't. I can't touch her, Fred." George whispered frantically.

"Why can't you?" Fred lowered his voice.

George's ears reddened, "You know why." 

"Oh! You'll be fine. Just think about Aunt Tessie or Hagrid in a bikini. That always works for-" 

"I'm not talking about _that_! I can usually control myself when it comes to getting a stiffy. I'm talking about touching Sarah."

"Oh..."

"I love her and because I love her, I can't touch her without changing her mood." 

"George," Fred placed his hands on his twin's shoulders, "it will be all right." 

"No, it won't. You can touch Angelina without worrying about her crying or laughing uncontrollably or going into a fit of rage. But I can't touch Sarah. Every touch, every graze of my arm against her might set her moods off. I've finally found a girl who is everything I've dreamed about and I can't even hold hands with her." 

"I know it sucks but, it will be okay."

"Fred-"

"It will be okay George. Trust me."


	25. An Astonishing Article

During breakfast the next morning, Fred, George, and I put on our usual after-back cleaning happy faces and pretended like things were normal. Of course they weren't, what with all the screaming and anguish, but no one except for the three of us knew any better and we wanted to keep it that way. Halfway through breakfast, the post arrived and Minx brought me my typical copy of The Daily Prophet and a bonus letter from my mum. 

"Thanks Minx," I untied the papers from his leg. "I greatly appreciate it." 

Minx hooted and bit my thumb before flying off back to the Owlery. I unfurled the letter first and quickly read it. 

Sarah,

_I hope you're feeling much better. I'm doing well. I love you and miss you, but I did write for something other than small talk. Sweet Pea, hopefully you read this before you read the Prophet. Ignore everything she writes. I know it's not true. It's being taken care of, don't worry love._

\- Sylvia R. Stone-Black 

"What the devil is she talking about?" I muttered. 

Fred and George looked at me worriedly, "What's wrong? Is your mum okay?" 

"Yes, she's quite alright…" My voice trailed off as I tore through the Prophet in search for anything about me, my mum, or Sirius. I had to figure out what she was talking about. 

"Sarah?"

I ignored them and turned to page eight where I'd found a large article in the top left hand corner. At the top of the article, there was a picture of Fred and George standing back to back, arms folded, with smiles on their faces. Seconds later, I'd pushed my way between them, smiling as well. Fred and George wrapped their arms around me, causing me to be sandwiched between them. The three of us were smiling. It all seemed innocent enough…that is until I saw the headline underneath it.

Risqué Threesome: Do These Boys Do More than Comfort Her? By Rita Skeeter 

"Oh, bugger," I whispered. 

Fred and George said something, but I wasn't listening. I was too busy reading. 

_Sarah Black, the young, innocent daughter of the late Sirius Black, is the newest employee at Diagon Alley's most thriving shop Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Outside of work, The Murderer's Daughter and the dashing Weasley twins attend Hogwarts together and are very close friends. For this reason, it's not surprising when every night, Sarah can be seen helping the gorgeous twin owners, Fred and George Weasley, close the shop. But what, you may ask, is so significant about this? The answer is steamier than you'd ever imagined.  
Combing my curls just so, I went to WWW to get an exclusive interview from Sarah herself to talk about her father, the job, and the twins. As we all know, Sarah has been a tortured soul since the untimely death of her father. Sadly, when I sat down to discuss this with her, she immediately burst into tears. Her eyes over-flooded with tears while she sobbed inconsolably. I quickly changed the subject to her job in an attempt to calm her down. Her dark eyes lit up at the chance to talk about the twins. She eagerly explained how she helped Fred and George come up with pranks at school and the trio's alias as the 'Trick Triplets'. "Fred and George are so nice to me!" Sarah gushed. When I asked if she fancied one of the Weasley twins, her cheeks burned red with hidden love. She smiled, "I love them both. I want to date both of them at the same time. Oh, how I only hope they love me too! Pranks and passion are the things I want, and they are the only ones who can give it to me." But soon, tears replaced the light from her eyes again when I asked if the twins were present when she got the news of Sirius's passing. That’s when our conversation ended and my conversation with the twins began.  
They were absolutely scrumptious. Their identical red hair glistened and their brown eyes shimmered. I asked the question about Sirius's passing and they described how upset Sarah was. "She entered the common room and practically sunk to her knees," Fred sighed. George agreed, "She couldn't stop crying so we sat down with her on the couch until she stopped." When I asked if Sarah had ever gotten upset about Sirius at work, they nodded. "At closing sometimes, she'd start to cry. She didn't want to be alone at home." Fred explained. George added, "So we'd take her upstairs and make her happy." As you can tell, the boys would have done anything to stop Sarah from crying, anything at all.  
"We love Sarah," they said. "She always helps us and is there when we need her." Fred smiled, "Whenever her mum works late the Ministry and won't be home 'til dawn, she spends the night with us." "She doesn't like being alone," George mentioned. The smiles on their faces were wide as they talked about their nights with Sarah. "She spends the night so often! She’s practically our girlfriend. We have such a thriving relationship and strong feelings for her. She can barely last a day without spending time with us. She practically needs us to get by, like a drug or an obsession."  
It’s obvious that there’s more to theses three than just pranks and crushes. Is a true love triangle in the air? Well, that’s for you to decide. _

With every word I took in, I felt myself become more and more infuriated. It was no wonder that when I finished reading, I slammed the article on the table and screamed, "That lying bitch!" 

"Sarah," Neville looked alarmed, "calm down."

"No! I hate Rita Skeeter! I absolutely despise her! How dare she? How dare she print these _lies_?"

Fred and George, who were reading over my shoulder, shook their heads. "We never said half of that rubbish!"

"Relax," Harry raised his cup of pumpkin juice to his lips. "No one actually believes her." 

"You don't know how wrong you are, Harry. It's sad to think, but people actually believe this shit!" I folded my arms. "How am I- I can't even begin to think. The fact that I've been living with Fred and George in a suite mixed with the Georgie Porgie business, ugh! People must think I'm a whore!" 

"I'm sure they won't," Ginny reassured me. 

"I'm sorry Ginny, but I'd have to agree with Sarah," Hermione put down her copy of _The Daily Prophet_. "What Skeeter wrote is a horrible and serious accusation."

"I know! Fred, George, and I don't shag over the summer." 

Harry nearly choked, "What?" 

"Skeeter insinuated that George and I have threesomes with her at the shop," Fred looked slightly annoyed. "We would never-" 

"-ever attempt to take advantage of her like that," George rubbed his eyes.

I balled up the paper and threw it, watching it whiz past Ron's head. 

Ron looked up, "Oi! What did I do?" 

"Sorry Ron, I didn't mean to hit you. I'm just so angry at her!" I scoffed, "'Pranks and passion are the things I want'. That's ridiculous. I never said that!"

"We did take her upstairs and make her feel better," Fred admitted. 

"-but we never shagged her," George scanned the article again. "Ugh! We sound so oogie."

"I know, like predators or something." 

"If you two never shagged her," Harry smirked, "what _did_ you two do when Sarah's mum worked late?"

Fred and George nervously picked at their food, "Uh…we…uh…" 

"Don't even dignify that with a response," I shook my head. "Harry's joking." 

"No, I'm not," Harry blinked. 

I made a face. 

"Kidding!"

"Now is not the time to joke, Harry," Hermione gave me a sympathetic glance. 

"C'mon, I'm just trying to light the mood is all," Harry reached across the table and touched my hand. "Sarah, you can't take everything she says so seriously. It will eat you alive if you do. Everything she writes is pure rubbish, and the people who truly care about you and honestly know you know that." 

I smiled. "Thank you, Harry. You didn't have to say that." 

"Yes, I did. Sirius would want me to make you happy. Besides, what's a god brother for?"


	26. Pain

"Sarah, take a deep breath for us." 

I tried but failed miserably. Nothing left my shaking body except for sobs. Using his wand, George levitated the cloth off of my back and dipped it into the basin of diluted rubbing alcohol again. George hadn't touched me throughout the entire process. Instead, he had used his wand. 

Fred ran his thumb over my knuckles, "Please try for us, Princess."

"I can't," I gasped. "Please stop. I can't take anymore." 

"You've got to try," George advised. "Just one more time, okay?" 

I whimpered and closed my eyes, bracing myself for the pain. Even though they had cleaned my back every night since the accident, my wound wasn't showing any signs of healing or scarring over. Every night felt just as painful as the first. 

George levitated the towel out of the basin "One last time. On the count of three, one-" 

"Two," Fred kissed my hand. 

"Three." 

My eyes widened almost immediately. I squeezed Fred's hand with my left and gripped the bed sheets with my right. As George moved the cloth down towards the middle and deepest part of my injury, I threw my head back. Fred and George's mouths were moving, but all I could hear was my own screams. Moments later, it was over. The cloth was back in the basin, Fred had let go of my hand, and George was sitting back in his chair, his knuckles white from grasping his wand. 

I rested my head back on my pillow, "Give me a moment. Then you can wrap me up." 

The twins said nothing in return. After my moment, I carefully went to sit up on my knees when George shook his head.

Fred shot me an apologetic glance, "Lie back down Princess." 

"Why?" My throat was dry.

George sighed, "Well, Sarah-doll, Fred and I were called into Dumbledore's office earlier today…"

"And?" I could feel an aching in my gut telling me that I wasn't about to like what I was going to hear. 

"Dumbledore told us we have to use this spell," Fred explained. "It's going to pull your skin to help cover the wound and create a scar. He asked how your wound was doing. We told him that it wasn't healed completely yet, so he told us the spell." 

"It takes two wands," George continued. "Fred and I will place our wands on either side of your wound and move them down its length." 

"While we do this, your skin on both sides will stretch and meet in the middle of your wound. If done properly, it should speed up your recovery process." 

"Dumbledore didn't say whether or not it would be painful. But I assume it would be." 

I couldn't believe it. There was no way that Dumbledore actually thought that I would go along with this. I shook my head."No. No, you can't. I won't let you." 

"Sarah, don't make us force you." Fred frowned. "You know you won't win." 

George rubbed the back of his neck, "Besides, if we don't, it may take months before you heal completely." 

"Would you rather have painful back cleanings for the next two months?" 

"Or one painful night with slightly painful back cleanings for the next two weeks?" 

I didn't want to go through more pain tonight, but I knew it was for the best. With a nod of my head, George moved to the other side of my bed and stood next to Fred. I lay back down on my stomach, turning my head to face the two of them as they held out their wands. 

"All right Sarah," Fred placed the tip of his wand on my back. 

George did the same, "On three." 

"One…" 

"Two…" 

"Three," Fred and George nodded together. "Cicatrix."

A soft purple light left both of their wands and surrounded my torso. Immediately, I felt a sharp pulling in my back. It felt as if someone had placed jagged fishhooks on either side of the wound, using them to yank my skin up tightly. Seconds later, I felt like the imaginary hooks had crossed and were now twisting my skin at a wondrous rate. I closed my eyes tightly. Now, the hooks felt knotted up so badly that, whoever had knotted them, was now trying to pull the hooks directly out of my flesh. I placed my face in my pillow, screaming so hard I thought my brain might explode. Tears ran from my eyes. Amongst the pain radiating from my skin, I could still feel the tips of twins' wands slowly inching down the length of my wound. The imaginary hooks jerked back and forth, finally freed from my skin. Then, all at once, the pain stopped. 

My body trembled. I stopped screaming. While the worst was over, I could still feel stinging and pain. I wanted to go to sleep. I wanted a numbing charm, anything to stop the pain. I opened my eyes. Fred was slouching in the chair and George was kneeling by my side. I let out a sob. Every muscle, every vein, and every fiber of my body hurt so badly. I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. With a shaking hand, I wiped my eyes and felt more tears replace them. 

Fred closed his eyes and sighed, "George, touch her."

George looked at his twin with knitted eyebrows and wide eyes. "Fred...I-I can't."

"You've got to."

"I can't, and you know why."

"All the more reason to do it! Sarah's bawling her bloody eyes out."

"Fred!"

"Dammit George! She's in pain!"

With shaking hands, George touched my forearm as if I were made of glass. His fingers felt cold and smooth against my burning skin. The three of us hung on a baited breath, watching for something to happen. Nothing did. Sobs still left my throat and tears still blurred my vision. 

"Why won't it work?" He panicked. 

Fred's expression matched his twin's. "You're touching her with all the feeling you've got, right?" 

"Yes!" 

"Keep trying!" 

George placed his hands on either side of my face and kissed me. I felt everything that he had held back, every speck of want, every scrap of need poured into me through his lips. Like first time we'd kissed, I kissed him back. I pressed my lips against his with all the force I could muster. I wanted him as much as he'd wanted me. I loved George so much, but I still hadn't told him. I couldn't, at least not until the proper moment. We pulled away and George's eyes met with mine.

Fred cleared his throat, "Have your emotions changed at all, Princess?" 

"I can't describe the amount of pain I'm in, but you two have to understand that it won't matter how many times you hug or kiss or touch me," I sniffed. "Fred held my hand through the entire cleaning process and my emotions never changed. Do you honestly think that it will work now?"

The twins nodded. 

"It won't. Boys, I'm feeling pain, pure, honest, physical pain. Pain-" 

"-Isn't a mood," they finished. 

I shook my head and whispered, "Pain isn't a mood."

Fred and George exchanged sad glances while I cried in silence. Without a word, they got to their feet and conjured the materials needed to wrap my back into the room. 

"Can you sit up for us Princess?" Fred asked. 

It took some struggling, but with the help of the twins, I was able to sit on my knees. I held my arms out and watched as Fred and George wrapped my torso in bandages. 

"Your wound looks much better," George mentioned. 

"Yeah, you can barely see the inside. Thanks to the spell, it's heal over now." 

I didn't say anything, just waited for them to finish. I was so tired. Once they had finished and charmed the materials out of the room, I buried my face in my hands.

"It's going to be okay Sarah," Fred's voice filled my right ear. 

"You're going to be all right," George's voice entered my left. 

More tears slid down my cheeks, "Am I?" 

Fred gently lifted my face from my hands and looked at me with gentle eyes. "We promise." 

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his body while he motioned something at George. I cried on his shoulder until his twin returned with my pajamas. Fred wiped my eyes with his thumbs and laid me down on my bed. 

"We love you Sarah," he kissed my forehead. 

"We always will," George kissed my hand. 

I wiped my eyes, "I love you both. Thank you." 

"You're welcome," Fred smiled. "Do you mind if we help you dress?" 

I shook my head. I didn't care about them seeing my naked body. They had seen my breasts every night, so I imagine that it doesn't faze them anymore. If it does, they definitely don't show it. Every night, I put myself in their hands and, every day, I'd learned to trust them more than I had before. 

"Slow down you crazy child," Fred began to sing. "You're so ambitious for a juvenile." 

George pulled off my socks and joined in, "But then if you're so smart, tell me," 

Their voices blended, "Why are you still so afraid?" 

"Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?" Fred continued, sliding off my skirt. "You better cool it off, before you burn it out."

"You got so much to do and only so many hours in a day." George placed his hands on my hips and looked at me for consent. 

I gave a nod and watched as his long fingers slid my knickers to my ankles and took them off. He and Fred sang the chorus while Fred pulled a new pair of knickers up to my hips. 

"Slow down you're doing fine," George put my left leg into a pair of pajama bottoms. "You can't be everything you want to be before your time. Although, it's so romantic on the borderline tonight." 

Fred put my right leg in, "Too bad but it's the life you lead. You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need. Though you can see when you're wrong." 

"You know you can't always see when you're right." 

They sung together and pulled my pajama bottoms up. "You're right." 

"You got your passion," Fred sat on my right, his back to me.

"You got your pride," George mimicked his twin on my left.

"But don't you know only fools are satisfied?" They both took off their ties and shirts. 

Fred stood, taking off his pants, "Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true."

George did the same, "When will you realize Vienna waits for you?" 

I carefully got underneath the blankets and lay in the middle of the bed. My voice cracked but I managed to sing my favorite part, "Slow down you…crazy child. Take the phone off the hook and…disappear for a while." 

Fred laid down next to me on my right while George laid on my left. Both of them took one of my hands and sang, "It's alright you can afford to lose a day or two." 

"When will you realize Vienna waits for you?" George brushed hair away from my face.

"Why don't you realize," Fred wiped my eyes, "Vienna waits for you?" 

They kissed my cheeks, "When will you realize Vienna waits for you?" 

I closed my eyes. I was in so much pain, I felt so helpless. "Thank you, Fred. Thank you, George." 

"Anything for you, Sarah."


	27. Anniversary Pt. 1

"Sarah, wake up."

"Wake up, Sarah-doll." 

"We've got a big day ahead of us." 

"It's our big day." 

My eyes sprang open at George's comment. "It's Halloween?" 

Fred and George, who were propped up on their elbows, smiled and nodded. A grin spread across my chapped lips. I couldn't believe it. It was Halloween! I guess I was so wrapped up in the events of the past few weeks that I hadn't realized that one of the most important days of the year was here. 

"It's Halloween," I whispered.

"It's Halloween," Fred sat up 

George did the same, "Do you know what else today is?"

"Do you know why today is so important?" 

"Yes," I nodded. "Five years ago, I was a first year who found friendship with two red-haired boys who just so happened to be twins."

They smiled, "And?" 

"Not only did those twins show me the ropes at Hogwarts, but they also helped me have fun." 

"Go on." 

"One Halloween, five years ago mind you, those twins decided that they could trust me enough to have me help out with a prank." 

"Did you accept?" Fred and George each raised an eyebrow. 

"Yes," I sat up. "I helped those twins. From that day on, we were known as the Trick Triplets and-" 

"-Every Halloween is known as our anniversary." They finished. 

Fred kissed my cheek, "Happy anniversary, Prank Princess." 

"Happy anniversary," George kissed my other cheek. "Sarah-doll." 

"Thank you boys," I felt my cheeks redden. "Now, if you don't mind, please leave. I have to get ready. It's Saturday." 

"So?" Fred got out of bed. 

"So, today is a trip to Hogsmeade. Remember?" 

"We completely forgot," George got out of bed. 

Fred gathered his clothes, "Yeah, we totally don't have a surprise planned for you." 

"No surprise at all," George followed suit.

They both gave me a wink and left my room, shutting the door behind them. I carefully got out of bed and immediately went to the bathroom. After using the loo, I stood in front of the mirror, turned to the side, and looked at my stomach. Nope, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The small pooch that I'd had since the middle of second year when I'd hit puberty was still there. I rested my hand across my stomach and let out a sigh. The dream I'd had last night wasn't a good one. George and I had managed to conceive in previous dreams and, in this one, I was in premature labor. Sadly, due to a few complications, our baby didn't make it. 

With a deep breath, I pushed the dream out of my head and went back into my bedroom. I had to find something to wear. Since it was the last day of October, it wasn't too cold and it wasn't too hot either. A jacket would definitely be in order, jeans as well. I'd probably wear a nice t-shirt underneath. It all seemed perfect until I looked down at my wrapped torso. I hadn't worn a bra since the accident and, for a C-cup breasted girl, you felt rather…loose and unprotected. Under the uniforms it wasn't so bad, but this would be my first time wearing a t-shirt in public since my injury. I groaned. I guess I'd have to deal with it. 

After changing my knickers and brushing my hair, I began to get dressed. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a purple shirt, topping it all off with a dark grey _Weird Sisters_ jacket. Slipping into my tennis shoes, I tucked my wand into my inside jacket pocket and grabbed my wallet. 

"I'm ready, boys!" I called. 

Rolling lip balm onto my lips, I rubbed my lips together and left my room. The moment I entered the suite's common room, Fred snickered. The twins were fully dressed. Fred was wearing a green shirt while George wore a blue shirt. Both, however, wore jeans and light grey, zip up hoodies with dark blue stripes.

"What's so funny?" I asked. 

" _The Weird Sisters_?" Fred smirked. "You don't still fancy that lead singer, do you?" 

"You and Ginny used to go on and on about him," George remembered. 

"What's his name, George?" 

"Bryon? Bryon Wanker?"

"His name is Myron Wagtail," I folded my arms. "He's cute and, if we ever ran into each other and he asked for a quick shag in the alley, I'd say yes. There's just something about the way he sings 'Magic Works'. Anyways, I'm not completely gaga over him anymore."

Fred and George stared at me with wide eyes for a moment before scoffing, "Right." 

I rolled my eyes, "Let's just go. We're going to be late for breakfast." 

"Before you go," Fred began. 

George stuffed his hands in his pockets, "We have to tell you something." 

"During our meeting with Dumbledore, he gave us the spell from last night and then told us something else." 

"He says that you're not allowed to have candy this Halloween because it will affect your moods." 

I looked at them very seriously for a moment before bursting out with laughter. "Good one, you two! You're always joking. You almost had me there. No candy, that's ridiculous." 

"We're not kidding," Their faces were humorless. "You can't have candy Sarah. We're really very sorry." 

"But…" my face began to fall. 

"We know." 

"It's Halloween. I love candy." 

"We're sorry," Fred explained. "Dumbledore let on that, with the full moon and all, something strange was going to happen." 

I widened my eyes, "What?" 

"Yeah," George nodded. "He wouldn't tell us what, but he warned that candy wouldn't help the situation." 

"It will add to your over excitement about Hogsmeade and Halloween," Fred mentioned. 

"Sorry Sarah-doll, but no candy today." 

My eyes began to water. This wasn't fair. The one day where I can let go and forget about my back, and I can't have candy. Noticing my mood, the twins exchanged glances before George kissed my cheek. 

"How do you feel now, Sarah?" Fred's eyebrows were furrowed. 

I shook my head, "I'm not sure."

"Angry?" George asked. 

"Sad?" Fred countered. 

"Horny?"

"Anxious?" 

"Normal?"

"I suppose I feel normal," I shrugged. "That's good right?" 

Fred and George shrugged as well, "Sure, works for us." 

"Let's catch the last of breakfast then." 

As we headed towards the portrait hole, I felt my stomach twist in knots. I knew the twins better than that. Their words said the fact that I was unsure about my feelings was good, their body language said otherwise. I watched the two of them look at each other worriedly and knew that this anniversary definitely wasn't going to be like the previous ones.


	28. Anniversary Pt 2: Candy

"You two said you had a surprise for me. What kind of surprise is it?" I walked through Hogsmeade between the twins, stepping on any leaf that looked extremely crunchy along the way. 

"We never said we had a surprise for you, Princess," Fred mentioned. 

"Yes, but you insinuated it. You winked." 

George shrugged, "So?" 

"So, that usually means that there's something up your sleeve." Fred and George watched me with smiles on their faces, while I ran slightly ahead to a large brown leaf and stepped on it. It gave a small _crunch_ and I smiled. "You have something planned. I know it." 

"She's loosing it Georgie," Fred looked at his twin. 

"Completely bonkers, that one," George agreed. 

"I mean look at her. She's imagining winks." 

"Yeah, and she's going out of her way to step on leaves-"

"I hear you two," I called over my shoulder. 

"We're only joking," Fred called back.

"Besides, we did have a surprise for you. We were going to take you to Honey-" George was cut off by his twin who elbowed him in the stomach. "Oi, Fred! That hurt!" 

I whipped around, "Honeydukes?" 

Fred sighed, "Yes, Princess, Honeydukes. We were going to take you to Honeydukes." 

"But," George rubbed his stomach, "seeing as how Dumbledore won't allow you to have candy-" 

"-We decided it was best to take you to Zonko's or Tomes and Scrolls instead." 

"We can get a few pranking materials and then you can spend as long as you like looking at books in Tomes." 

My face fell, "I don't want to get pranking materials or look at books." I folded my arms and stomped my foot. "I want to go to Honeydukes." 

"We know," they nodded. "But you can't." 

I was beginning to grow angry and the twins could tell. Without a moment's hesitation, George pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. I felt my anger slip into sadness as I buried my head into George's chest and sobbed. 

"Sarah, are you crying?" Fred sounded confused. 

"What do you think?" Tears formed in my eyes. "It's Halloween and all I want is candy. It's not fair…I've been sick for a week, I've had painful back cleanings, and now I can't have the one thing that makes me happy." 

"Don't cry." 

George pulled away from me, "Yeah, please don't. It's just candy." 

"Just candy?" I sniffed. "It's not just candy. It's the principle of it all. Why can't I have candy? What's so bad about it? It will make me happy and I guess Dumbledore doesn't want me happy. 'Add to my over excitement' that's rubbish and you know it! Please you two, I just want candy."

Fred and George watched me for a moment, both of them trying to decide whether or not they were going to acquiesce to my request. Finally, Fred broke the silence. "What's the harm in a Sugar Quill?"

"I was thinking the same thing," George nodded. 

"Really?" I felt excitement bubble within me. "You mean we're going to Honeydukes?" 

They nodded. I jumped and clapped my hands, before giving them each a hug. I couldn't believe I was going to have candy. With smiles on their faces, Fred and George followed me all the way to Honeydukes. My mind was racing. I couldn't decide what I should get. Sugar Quills, Bertie Botts, or Ice Mice? Ooh, but Chocolate Frogs were a must. We reached the door to Honeydukes and I felt like I was going to explode. I was so happy. 

"Now Sarah," George placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. "You go in there and buy as much candy as you want." 

My eyes widened, "As much as I want?" 

"As much as you want," Fred agreed. "We have one condition though." 

"What's that?" 

Fred and George looked at each other, then at me. "You can't tell Dumbledore that we let you have candy." 

"I won't!" I bounced on my toes. "Can I go in now?" 

With a wave of their hands, I disappeared into the bustling candy store. But as I left I could have sworn I heard Fred and George discussing me outside of the store. 

"Fred, do you have any idea what we've just done?" George looked worried. 

His twin nodded, "Yeah." 

"Are you sure we did the right thing?" 

"George, just relax. It'll be all right." 

"But we…we're…" 

"I know. We're setting ourselves up for disaster."


	29. Anniversary Pt. 3: Do I Make You Randy?

Sarah skipped happily through the portrait hole, her hands and jacket pockets filled with sweets. Fred and George followed behind her, exhausted from trying to keep her under control. From the moment they'd left Honeydukes and she popped tip of the strawberry Sugar Quill into her mouth, Sarah had been bouncing off the walls. By the time she'd finished her Quill and moved onto her package of Jelly Slugs, she was bursting with energy. Fred and George had to hold her hands and walk with her tightly between them in order to get her to _walk_ calmly back to Hogwarts. 

"You have a serious problem, Sarah," Fred plopped on the couch. 

George joined his twin, "I think 'problem' is an understatement." 

"You are never-" 

"-Ever-" 

"-Having candy-" 

"-Again." 

The twins looked at Sarah who settled on the couch between them, "Is that understood?" 

"It's Halloween," she pointed out. "There's candy at dinner tonight." 

Fred and George groaned and sat back, watching as Sarah figured out how much candy she had left to eat. She placed the bag of Bertie Botts, which she had in her left hand, on the coffee table while she finished off the remaining licorice wand in her right hand. Next, she removed an Acid Pop, a package of Fizzing Whizzbees, and a package of Ice Mice from her jacket pockets. 

"That's all, yeah?" George asked. 

She nodded, "That's all." 

"Thank goodness," Fred rubbed his eyes. "How are you not sick?" 

"I don't know," Sarah shrugged, "but I'm tired. I think I'm going to take a nap before dinner."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." 

George yawned, "I think we'll join you in that." 

They did it all the time Gryffindor Common Room, they knew the routine. Sarah stood up and slipped off her shoes, while Fred and George adjusted their positions. The twins slid apart, Fred sitting on the left end of the couch and George on the right end. Sarah curled up in the newfound space between the twins, her head in the lap of Fred, her feet in the lap of George. Once Sarah got comfortable, Fred and George slid off their shoes and stretched out their long legs. They put their feet on the table in front of them and relaxed. George tilted his head back against the tall pillows behind him. Fred placed his elbow on the arm of the couch and rested his head against his hand. With his free hand, he absentmindedly stroked Sarah's hair.

"Sleep tight, Sarah," the twins whispered. 

"G'night, boys," Sarah muttered. 

Fred and George smiled at each other. It always amazed them how quickly Sarah could fall asleep. George was next to doze off. Hoping to join his twin, Fred closed his eyes and continued to stroke Sarah's hair. Fred felt her head shift on his lap and heard her mutter. 

"Shh," he cooed. "You're all right, Princess. I've gotcha." 

Sarah shifted again, a soft moan escaping her lips. He was about to ask what was wrong when a yell erupted from her throat. Fred's eyes shot open as he looked down at the girl in his lap. 

"George!" Sarah moaned loudly. "Oh…more!" 

Her back arched, her mouth opened, and her breath grew rugged. Through all of this, George was still sleeping soundly. Fred wondered how George could sleep, when Sarah was moaning his name so loudly. It wasn't long before he got his answer.

"Sarah!" George gripped the arm of the couch. "Fuck!" 

Fred looked over at his sleeping twin in shock. He rarely heard his twin swear in such a way. His jawed dropped as he watched George and Sarah moan and pant. Their faces grew flushed and sweat began to form on their brows. 

"Are you two…? No…you can't be…" Fred shook his head in disbelief. "Are you two shagging?" 

Sarah whimpered, "Oh, Merlin, you're amazing."

"You feel so good," George breathed. "Sarah!"

Fred couldn't believe what was happing before his eyes. It didn't seem possible, let alone probable, that Sarah and his twin were dreaming of shagging one another. Well, he knew that George was having sexual dreams about Sarah. However, he never knew that Sarah was having dreams about George. 

"Mm, baby, I'm so close!" Sarah knitted her brow. 

George groaned, "Me too!" 

Seconds went by like hours as Fred watched in horror. He felt dirty for even being in the same room while George and Sarah engaged in a quickie, let alone having Sarah writhe on his lap. He couldn't wait for the two to finish and hopefully wake up. 

"Can you two finish already?" Fred felt utterly awkward.

Suddenly, George and Sarah bolted upright, screaming each other's names in ecstasy. Fred covered his eyes, unable to watch what was happening. 

George was the first to open his eyes. "What…what happened?" 

"What…?" Sarah blinked rapidly before wiping her forehead, "Why am I sweating?" 

Fred sighed, "Because you and my brother fancy each other a lot more than I realized." 

"Sorry?" 

"You and my brother were shagging in your sleep. You were dreaming, of course, but it was still bloody disgusting to watch. Both of you wouldn't stop moaning and screaming. Sarah you kept wriggling around. Ugh! I'm just thankful you two weren't literally on top of each other." 

Sarah and George avoided each other's eyes. 

Fred looked at his twin, "George, you told me that you were having dreams about her. I didn't think she was having the same dreams about you."

"That's because I didn't let you on about it," Sarah blushed. "I was embarrassed."

George faced Sarah, "Hold on. You mean to tell me that you had dreams about me too?" 

She nodded, "I had a dirty dream about you while I was sick. From then on, it was like a series of dreams. We married, shagged-" 

"You got pregnant and…" George's voice trailed off. 

"We lost the baby." Sarah finished. "And the dream I just had, you said you were ready to try again when I was ready to try again-"

"-You said you were and I asked you if you were sure-" 

"-Then I kissed you and we started shagging." 

"Spooky," George took her hand. "So, we've been having the same dreams?" 

Sarah shrugged, "I suppose so." 

The two were quiet until George broke the silence. "I really fancy you Sarah. I really, really do." 

"For how long have you fancied me?" 

He gave a sheepish grin, "Since you were in fourth year."

"Wow," Sarah tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Well, George, I have something I need to-" 

"I'm sorry, Sarah," George interrupted. "It's just…I was too scared to tell you how I felt. I didn't know what you'd do." 

"It's okay. I just wanted to tell you that I-"

"Sarah, I love you so much. I need to know if you love me too." 

"George-"

"I know I'm jumping ahead a bit, but do you want to be my girlfriend? If you don't, I completely understand-" 

"George!" Sarah yelled. 

"What?" 

Sarah leaned forward, placed her hands on either side of his jaw, and kissed him. Her eyes closed as she poured everything she had into the connection between their lips. George, who was caught by surprise, had just begun to kiss her back when she pulled away. "If you would stop talking for five seconds, you'd realize that I've been trying to tell you that I want to be your girlfriend."

"What?" 

"I love you, too." 

While he took her lips with his own, George pulled her body close to his. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. Sarah actually loved him back! The blood was rushing through his veins. Likewise, Sarah's cheeks flushed at the thought of being with George. She didn't have to hide it anymore. She loved him and he loved her, they could be together. The two of them continued to make out for what seemed like hours until they were interrupted by a third person on the couch. 

"C'mon you two," Fred clapped his hands together as he stood. "Stop sucking face. We've got to get to dinner." 

George pulled away, "Coming."

"Coming," Sarah straightened her clothes. 

"Speaking of coming," Fred smirked at his twin, "You might need to change your pants first."


	30. Dumbledore's Plan

"Ah, Miss Black, it's excellent to see you. You look well." 

Dumbledore gave me a small, warm smile. I recognized it as the same smile he gave me when he tried to reassure me that everything would be fine after my father's death. Why did he want to see me? I hadn't done anything wrong, had I? I took my seat in front of his desk and smiled back. 

"Thanks, Professor," I folded my hands in my lap. "I definitely feel better than before." 

He nodded, "Very good. I trust both Mr. and Mr. Weasley have been doing a fair job in taking care of you?" 

"Not fair, more like brilliant! Fred and George are doing a fantastic job."

"Are they both following my rules precisely by cleaning your wound?" 

"Yes, Professor," I agreed. 

"Are they steering you clear of any sweets?" 

My face immediately fell. I tried to figure out what to say. I didn't want to lie to Dumbledore and tell him that I hadn't had any sweets. Yet, at the same time, I couldn't tell him that the twins had given into my request to have candy. 

Dumbledore chuckled, "It's quite all right, Miss Black. You don't have to say anything. I am aware that you have eaten candy today." 

I began to wonder how he could possibly know that I had eaten sweets, when I thought back to dinner and the dessert I had.   
….

_"Sarah, maybe you should pace yourself on the sweets."_

_My teeth were sinking into a caramel apple when the twin's advice hit my ears. My favorite thing about the Halloween feast was dessert. The tables there were filled with carrot and chocolate cakes, gumdrops, gelatin, candy corn, apples, and cauldrons filled with large swirled lollipops. I thought for a moment about their suggestion, shrugged, and continued to eat my apple._

_"Didn't you two say Sarah wasn't supposed to have candy?" Hermione asked._

_George briefly looked up from his slice of custard pie, while Fred reached for another slice._

_"Yeah," nodded Fred._

_"Dumbledore said," George agreed._

_"So?"_

_"So," sighed Hermione, "according to Dumbledore's orders, she shouldn't be eating that caramel apple right now, should she?"_

_Fred and George each turned inward to face me. I shifted my glance between the twins, my mouth open wide, my teeth half-sunken into the apple in my hand. They shrugged their shoulders and continued to eat their dessert._

_"Sarah, stop eating that! Who knows what could happen." Hermione advised._

_"You're too late, 'Mione." I swallowed. "I've already had a ton of candy today. One caramel apple isn't going to change anything."_

_Ron pat her back, "Yeah, loosen up. It's just an apple."_

_Hermione looked to Harry, who lowered his head and continued to eat his chocolate cake. She huffed, "Honestly. Sometimes, I think I'm the only one with regard for Dumbledore's rules. If something happens to Sarah, don't say I didn't tell you so."_

_"Relax," I smiled. "Nothing is going to happen."_

...

"I take it you also had sweets during your trip to Hogsmeade as well?" Dumbledore smiled all-knowingly. 

My face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just," I sighed, "…it's just...Hogsmeade was the first 'normal' thing I could do right after my accident and I _really_ wanted candy." 

"It's quite all right Miss Black, you shouldn't worry yourself. You are not in any trouble whatsoever." 

"I'm not?" My eyebrows rose. 

"No, you are not. The Weasley twins however-" 

"Professor, it's not their fault. Fred and George told me not to eat any candy. They made it very clear that you told them that I wasn't supposed eat sweets. I practically had to beg them, honest! I begged and begged, before they gave in. It's my fault, really. I knew they couldn't say 'no' to me if I kept asking. They've been absolutely fantastic since my accident. It's not their fault I had candy. It's mine. I'm so-"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and I immediately stopped talking. I wasn't in any trouble, yet here I was babbling away in defense of Fred and George as if I were. I took a moment to compose myself. 

"Miss Black," Dumbledore advised, "you really must calm yourself. You're not in trouble."

I bit my lip, "I'm sorry. Why am I here, if you don’t mind me asking?" 

"I'm in need of your help." 

"Why do you need my help?"

"The seriousness of Mr. and Mr. Weasley's actions cannot go unpunished. Even though the candy will not affect you, they still went against my wishes simply to satisfy you," explained Dumbledore. "I originally punished the Weasley twins with the responsibility of caring for you in order to teach them to follow rules and stop pulling so many pranks. I believed that they were doing a fair job, so I decided to test them. I gave them a single rule: do not allow you to have candy or any sweets. Now that they have broken that one rule, it's time Mr. and Mr. Weasley get a more eye-opening punishment: a taste of their own medicine." 

I furrowed my brow and nervously began to smooth my skirt. "I'm not sure I'm following you, Professor." 

"Miss Black," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "We're going to pull a little prank of our own."


	31. Emotionless

I woke up the next morning completely prepared. Honestly, I had never felt more prepared for anything in my life. I understood Dumbledore's plan perfectly and I was ready to execute it. The plan was for me to go through the day showing absolutely no emotion. When Fred and George freak out and take me to the Hospital Wing or Dumbledore, they would find out that because they allowed me to have sweets, I would be rendered emotionless. Sadly, they would find out that my emotions might never return. Fred and George will feel awful for their mistake and worry about the fact that they've 'broken' me beyond repair. Of course, they wouldn't know that I had taken a potion the night before that suppresses my emotions for twenty-four hours. The plan was just brilliantly complicated enough to work. 

With a yawn, I rolled over. I slowly opened my eyes and was immediately met with the sight of ginger hair. 

"Ah, you're up!" grinned Fred

"With all that candy you ate yesterday-" George began.

"We thought you wouldn't wake until much later." 

The twins were already dressed for the day and it made me wonder if they had gone to breakfast without me. Taking care not to hurt my back, which was still sore from last night's cleaning, I sat up and stretched.

"Good morning, you two." The words felt detached the moment they left my lips. From the looks on Fred and George's faces, they were as taken aback as I was at the tone of my voice. 

Fred's eyebrows rose, "Are you okay?" 

"Never better." I shrugged. "See."

I tried to smile, but found that my lips wouldn't allow it. I tried to get upset, but found that I couldn't furrow my eyebrows. I found myself growing frustrated inside, yet neither my voice nor my face showed any signs of this emotion. When I lifted my hands to slam my fists on my bed, they moved to my head and began to smooth my hair. Dumbledore said that it was a curious potion. A curious potion indeed.

"Sarah?" asked Fred.

My eyes flicked towards him, "Yes?" 

"Sarah," George pressed. "Darling?" 

"Yes, love?" 

Fred shook his head angrily, "No, no, no, no! Just stop! This," Fred motioned at me, "this isn't you. This isn't...our Sarah." 

"It's me, Fred." 

I couldn't believe how well Dumbledore's plan was working! If I could have smiled, I would have. Instead, I sat staring at the distraught twins with empty eyes. 

Fred scoffed, "Sarah wouldn't be this...I don't know, callous about everything. Sarah has greeted us with a smile every morning since we met, even when she was royally pissed off with us. Hell, even after Sirius passed she tried to smile for us. Sarah was over the moon yesterday when she and Georgie here finally told each other how much they fancied each other."

"Fred," George attempted to steady his twin. 

"It's not her. If I can see it this clearly you should, too!"

George and I sat silently, staring at his fuming twin. Honestly, I don't think I had ever seen Fred this upset since the day Slytherin won a Quidditch match against Gryffindor because they managed to send half the team, including Harry, to the hospital wing. I sat in my haze of disbelief until the sound of my name startled me. George caught my eyes and my hand in his. Even though my heart jumped at his touch, the potion forced me to blink at him distantly. 

"Yes, George?" 

His hands moved to my cheeks, cupping them in his palms while his thumbs stroked their roundness. Our eyes met and I hoped that my eyes could show at least a bit of emotion. George's face fell, and I was filled with the sickening realization that they couldn't. The pain in his eyes sent a pang of guilt through me. Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to prank them.

"Sarah-doll," George leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. "Oh, Sarah...there's got to be a little bit of you left in there." 

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I am in here." 

It was George's turn to shake his head. "No, Fred's right. This isn't you." 

He let go of my cheeks and turned to his twin. They gave each other a nod, before separating to separate ends of my room. George grabbed a pair of my underwear and my skirt from a drawer, while Fred took a button up shirt and a vest from my closet.

George stood at the foot of my bed, "Sarah-doll, we have to dress you." 

"It's two against one, so don't resist." Fred sat next to me. 

I nodded in agreement and allowed the twins to dress me. The process took less than five minutes, proving that either they had gotten better at dressing me, or they had a mission planned between the two of them for what to do with me. I suspected the latter. Once they dressed me, I used the restroom, quickly brushed my teeth and hair, and slipped on my shoes and my robe. 

"So," I entered the common room, "are we off for breakfast?"

The twins surged forward, Fred on my right and George on my left. Both of them took one of my hands in their own and pulled me towards the door together. 

"Where are you taking me?" I struggled against them. "Where are we going?"

"We have to take you to Dumbledore," Fred tightened his hold on my hand. 

George did the same on my left, "He'll know what to do."


	32. Arguments and Understanding

_"I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done."_

_Dumbledore sat forward in his chair, his eyes on the troublesome twins before him. Fred and George stared at the Headmaster in disbelief. To them, this verdict was impossible. There was always something that could be done._

_"What do you mean?" The twins asked._

_"Due to your neglect for following the rules, there's no telling when Miss Black will be herself again."_

Fred shook the memory from his head and looked over at his twin. George, who was slouching on the couch, had his eyes fixed upon the fire in front of him. They were supposed to be studying for a Transfiguration test, though neither of them could bring themselves to care about the dangers of cross-species transfiguration, especially not when they had just gotten the news that their best friend was never going to be the same again. 

It seemed like just seconds ago that they were in Dumbledore's office, receiving the news that the sweets they had allowed Sarah to ingest had rendered her emotionless. Now here they were, hours later, still reeling from the news. Fred opened his mouth to speak, when George cut him off. 

"We've really done it now, Fred." His eyes were sullen. "We've really gone too far this time, haven't we?" 

All Fred could do is nod. He didn't dare open his mouth. He knew that nothing he could say would fix the situation, nor make George feel any better about what he'd done to Sarah. 

"I know there's a chance that she could revert back to normal, but what if she doesn't? What if she's emotionless forever? I mean, what if I never hear her say 'I love you' the same way she did yesterday? What if I never feel her hug me the same way? What if we never see the happiness in her eyes that she gets when she helps us with a prank, or-or-or when she visits us at the shop? What if we never see her do that ridiculous 'In your face!' dance she does when the girls win whenever we play boys against girls Quidditch for fun?" George gasped, "What if one day I shag her and she doesn't even show me an inkling that she wants it or wants me? What am I going to do now? I mean, I'm not ever going giving up on her, but what if she's never the same?" 

"I-I'm so sorry," Fred uttered. "I-I'm sorry, George." 

George looked over at his twin and shook his head, "It's not your fault." 

"Don't lie to me, Georgie. We both know that it is my fault. You were the one who didn't want to pull this prank! You warned me that we shouldn't prank Sarah. You told me that it was wrong, but I didn't listen. Hell, I didn't even care. I was the one who was dumb enough to coax you into doing it with me. Even after we pranked her, you were the one who panicked about something not being right. And what did I do? I shrugged you off, Georgie. I ignored you and your concerns, and look what I've done. Now our little Prank Princess is broken and it's my fault." Fred placed his head in his hands, choosing this moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath. "I might not love Sarah the same way you do, but I really do care about her. I'm sorry George. I really, really am." 

Fred was so angry at himself for all of this. He knew that by hurting Sarah, he had hurt his George. And if there was one thing that upset him the most was whenever he or anyone else had hurt his twin. The same had gone for George. It had always been this way with the two of them. 

"It takes two to prank," reminded George. "Besides, we both allowed her to have candy. That's the stuff that really did it." 

"We wouldn't have had to worry about her eating candy if I'd listened to you and not gone through with the stupid prank in the first place!" 

"Honestly, even if you had listened to me, we still would have eventually pranked her! It's something we've been planning to do for awhile and just never could find the right prank to pull. If it wasn't this prank, it would have been a different and, quite possibly, a more dangerous one!" 

Fred sighed. He knew George was right.

"I'm sorry to yell, but I'm not going to sit here and let you pity party yourself," George rubbed his eyes. "It's both of our faults, all right?" 

"All right," Fred nodded. 

The twins retreated back to silence. Fred return to his own thoughts, contemplating every 'what if' his twin had voiced. George fixed his eyes on the fire again, watching as the red and gold flames flicked about as wildly as his anger had seconds earlier. There was nothing left to say. It wasn't until the soft sound of footsteps filled the muted air that they snapped out of their trances. 

"Are you two finished fighting?" 

Fred and George faced a tired Sarah and got to their feet with a sigh. Neither of them thought about the possibility of her over-hearing their conversation. 

"We're sorry, Princess," Fred started towards her. 

"Yeah," George followed. "We didn't mean to wake you." 

She ran a hand through her tousled hair, "I wasn't asleep yet. I was wondering when you two were going to clean my back." 

Fred placed his hand on his forehead, "Oh, yeah, uh…" 

"We'll, uh, do it in a second. How are you feeling, Sarah-doll?" George, who stood before her at this point, reached forward to cup her cheek in his hand. He knew that she was emotionless, so touching her wasn't going to send her into a mood swing. 

"I'm a little tired," Sarah's voice was still monotonous, yet she nuzzled her cheek lovingly against his palm. "George, why are you two fighting about me?" 

Fred and George exchanged nervous glances before answering with, "We weren't fighting about you." 

"Funny, it sounded an awful lot like it."

"Sarah," Fred sighed. "You've got to understand, George and I were just discus-"

"I heard the whole thing from my room. It wasn't a bloody discussion, it was a fight. You two have known me for years. Do you honestly think I'm that thick?" If Sarah could have rolled her eyes, she would have. Instead, she settled for an emotionless blink. "It's not your fault, Fred. 

"Come again?" 

"It's not your fault. The prank, I mean. I know that you were the mastermind behind it, you almost always are, but it wasn't your fault. George is right. If you hadn't had pranked me, you would have eventually and who knows what that would have done. Besides, like George said, it was the candy that really did it. I should have listened to the both of you when you told me that I wasn't allowed to have candy. If anything, I did this to myself." 

"But, if we hadn't had pranked you, you would have been able to eat candy without worry."

"True, but-"

"No more," George placed his hands on her shoulders. "Fred and I have already decided that it's both of our faults whether you agree with that or not." 

"Princess," Fred stroked her hair, "please don't argue with us. I've had enough tension for today. George has too."

"We did this to you. It was our prank that started it all. Okay?" 

Sarah looked from Fred to George, before nodding her head, "Okay." 

George took his hands off her shoulders, while Fred pulled her into his chest. He hugged Sarah tightly; his right hand on the back of her head, his left arm wrapped around her shoulders. Closing his eyes, Fred gave her one good squeeze, kissed the top of her head, and let her go. It was George's turn next. As he lowered his head to give her a kiss, Sarah stood on her toes to bridge the height difference. The two met in the middle and took their time, both taking extra care to make their kiss emotive, even if one of them couldn't exactly express feelings. When they pulled away, George gave her a hug identical to the one Fred had given her earlier.

"Even though I can't express it, I hope you know that I love you," Sarah looked over at Fred, "both of you." 

Fred and George gave a nod, "We do, Sarah. We love you too." 

"And I don't blame you for pranking me. I can see the temptation for wanting to, and I…I understand perfectly."


	33. Bloody Good Prank

"Sarah…Sarah…" 

Not sure if the sound of my name was coming from my dream or reality, I kept my eyes shut and tried to ignore it. I was rather exhausted from the back cleaning the night before, and wanted nothing more than to sleep in a few extra minutes. 

"Sarah," a hand touched my shoulder and gave it a good shake. "Wake up, love."

It just so happened that the shoulder being pushed back and forth was also the shoulder where my scar began. Hoping to get away from the offending hand, I rolled onto my back. 

"Oi!" I groaned. "Don't shake my shoulder when I'm lying on my side. You two cleaned my back last night, so be careful, yeah?" 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt…hold on. Sarah-doll?"

I didn't have to open my eyes to know who it was. "Yes, George?" 

"Just now, you were cross, weren't you?"

"I wasn't cross, Georgie," I grumbled. "I was just a bit upset, 'cause I've told you and Fred a thousand times to be careful when you wake me up. Just because my back is almost healed, doesn't mean you two can shake me awake like you used to." 

George didn't say anything. In fact, the room grew so quiet that I thought he'd either left or decided that I could sleep in for another five minutes. It wasn't until I heard him yell for Fred that I realized he was still in the room. 

My eyes shot open, "Blimey! Are you trying to see if you can break the sound-proof spell on this suite? What the bleeding hell are you yelling for? Can't you see I'm completely done in? You asked me earlier if I was cross, well, now I am." 

Usually, George would have shot me a glance or told me to calm down. Instead, he reached for his twin who frantically entered my room. 

"What is it?" Fred breathed. "What's wrong? Is Sarah all right?" 

"All right?" George grinned with a scoff, "She's brilliant! She's back to her old self again." 

Fred furrowed his brow, his gaze shifting from his twin, to me, then back to his twin. Slightly annoyed, I let out an aggravated sigh. It was at that moment that I realized that George was right. I was back to my old self, which meant that Dumbledore's potion had worn off. Dumbledore's brilliant prank was over. I'd have to come clean to Fred and George about the prank and who knows how upset they'll be when I tell them. Especially after that bickering match they got into last night about me.

"Sarah, is it true?" Fred snapped me out of my thoughts. "Are you better?"

"Considering I'm contemplating throwing a pillow at my boyfriend because he hurt my ears and disturbed my sleep by yelling loudly enough to wake the dead," I gave a sigh, "I'd say yes." 

The happiness that flicked across Fred's face was unbelievable. If I hadn't understood why they were so happy to see me angry, I would've thought they were mental. I had to admit, being able to express my feelings again was a huge wave of relief. 

Fred pulled his twin into a hug, "She's back! Our Princess is back!"

"I know!" George returned the gesture. "I have never been so happy to have her angry at me." 

I couldn't blame them for being so elated. I mean, the night before, they had gone to bed thinking I would never show emotions again. 

Suddenly, they stopped hugging and looked at me. "We have to take you to Dumbledore!"

"What?" My eyebrows rose. "Why?" 

Fred and George wasted no time as they took my hands and led me to Dumbledore's office. I struggled against them. There was no way I was going to see Dumbledore wearing nothing but an old, oversized T-shirt and underwear. The few people who were in the hallways and stairways didn't stare too much when we passed by. It felt like Déjà vu having the twins take me to see the Headmaster again. With each step, we got closer to Dumbledore's and I got closer to having to tell the twins that I pranked them. 

"Professor Dumbledore," Fred and George burst into his office. "Sarah's back!"

I let go of their hands and followed behind them, "I was, and always have been, right here." 

Dumbledore, who stood just in front of his desk, blinked coolly at us. Part of me wondered if he was expecting us or if we had surprised him and were keeping him from breakfast. Judging by the fact that there were three chairs before his desk instead of two, I figured it was the former. I took a seat in one of the chairs, taking extra care to keep my legs closed and my knickers covered. Fred plopped into the chair on my left while George sunk into the one on my right. The three of us watched as Dumbledore sat in his own chair and gave us a smile. 

"Good morning Ms. Black, Mr. and Mr. Weasley. To what do I owe this visit?"

"Good morning, Professor." I ran a hand through my pillow-mussed hair. "I'm sorry for my appearance. _Fred and George_ wanted to tell you the good news and they couldn't wait _five minutes_ for me to put on shoes and a pair of shorts on." 

Dumbledore looked at me over his glasses, "Ms. Black, do I detect a hint of agitation in your tone?"

"Yes, you do." 

"Excellent. Then it appears your emotions have returned."

"They came back just this morning," Fred explained. 

"Right when I woke her up," agreed George. "We thought she'd never be herself again." 

"You told us she probably never would." 

"Now look at her!" 

After a few moments of silence, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Sarah, perhaps you should explain to Mr. and Mr. Weasley why your emotions returned so unexpectedly?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I wasn't ready to explain the prank or the reasoning behind why we played it on them, but it had to be done. 

"Sarah," Fred furrowed his brow.

"What do you have to tell us, sweetheart?" George questioned.

I groaned inwardly at his use of pet names at a time like this, "Er…I…um…I pranked you two." 

The twins looked at each other, before they both let out a scoff of disbelief, "What?" 

"Remember that meeting I had with Dumbledore the other day. Well, um, we talked and he explained that you two needed a way to really learn your lesson about pranking. He offered to prank you two and I agreed." I nervously chewed my lip, "I took this potion that suppressed my emotions for a day and…well…there you go. I'm so sorry. I just…" 

George blinked, "You _pranked_ us?"

"You really had me going there for a minute," Fred scoffed again. 

"You pranked us?"

"I was worried sick about you, Sarah Jane! You had me and George honestly believing that you would never be the same again." 

I flinched visibly at the use of my middle name. "I'm sorry, you two. Really, I am."

"You bloody _pranked_ us?!" George sounded completely outraged. "Why would you do that?" 

Fred shook his head, "How could you? Why would you prank _us_?"

"Why would you two prank me?!" I countered. 

"We did it because we've never pranked you before!" Fred and George snapped.

"Well did you ever think that maybe I did it because no one has ever pranked you two before?! Dumbledore's right, we were right to prank you. It's obvious that you two haven't learned anything from this."

I sat back in my chair and looked straight forward. I couldn't bear looking at either Fred or George. Instead, I focused on Dumbledore, who looked somewhat alarmed by the twins' reaction towards me, but genuinely pleased with himself. 

"Sarah…" George's voice trailed off before he could say another word.

Fred opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "Princess, we didn't realize-" 

"That's right!" I snapped."You didn't realize. You just thought you'd get away with getting upset and jumping all over me for pranking you. I understand I did the same when I found out you pranked me, but I can't believe you two were seriously thick enough to believe that no one would try to take revenge on you by giving you a dose of your own medicine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed!" 

I carefully stood up and stormed towards the door. Before I could reach it, I turned on my heel and faced the shocked faces of the twins and the understanding face of Dumbledore. 

"Sorry, Professor," I apologized.

Dumbledore granted me permission with a wave of his hand. Without waiting another second, I left his office and made my way back to our suite. It wasn't until I was about half way back that I heard two voices calling after me.

"Sarah, wait!" 

I glanced over my shoulder and rolled my eyes. Fred and George were rushing down the stairs, probably hoping to get to through them and to me before they shifted. 

"Sarah-doll!" George cried. "Wait up!"

Fred called, "C'mon, Princess, please stop?" 

Their voices seemed much closer than before. I quickened my pace. 

"Princess!" 

"Sarah!" 

I turned down a corridor and stopped in front of our portrait hole. The blue lady brushed a blonde curl behind her ear while she fanned herself with a white and blue fan. 

"Pumpkin squares," I hastened. 

Upon hearing the password, the blue lady parted her ruby red lips and yawned. "What's the rush, sweetie?" 

"Look, I just want to get to my room and away from them." I jerked my head towards the fast-approaching Fred and George. 

"Who, those twins? Handsome boys, if I do say so myself. If I wasn't so enamored with Sir Cadogan...." she gave a small sigh. "Anyway-"

"Will you just let me in?" 

The blue lady scoffed haughtily, "It would serve you well to learn some patience." 

"What is your problem today?" I questioned. The blue lady was never this rude.

"You'll certainly never find a man with an attitude like that, dear." 

I resisted the urge to scream. Why was it so easy for everyone to piss me off today? Maybe it was a side effect of that potion. "For your information," I snapped. "I have found a man." 

"Oh really? And just who would want a girl like you?" 

An arm snaked around my waist and George's voice filled my ears. "Me, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my girlfriend." 

"She said the password," Fred folded his arms. "Now let us in." 

The blue lady hugged and swung open. "Fine. But the girl really should work on her temper and her clothing choice, too. They are both rather un-ladylike." 

Before I could show her what un-ladylike truly was, the twins ushered me into the suite and closed the portrait hole. 

"Thanks, you two." I muttered once we were inside. 

"Uh, Sarah," George began. "We owe you an apology." 

Fred nodded, "We heard what you said in Dumbledore's office-" 

"-and we get it." 

"We were just sort of…I dunno…shocked to say the least." 

"We never thought about the possibility of you pranking us back." 

"I guess now we know how you felt when you found out we pranked you." 

"I guess what we're trying to say is:" 

"I'm sorry Sarah." Fred ran a hand through my hair. 

"Sarah-love," George kissed my lips. "I'm sorry." 

Their voices blended as they asked, "Do you forgive us?" 

My eyes traveled across the apologetic faces of the twins. George rubbed the back of his neck while Fred rocked back and forth on his feet. Both of them looked equally anxious for my response. While I knew wouldn't have trouble accepting their apologies, I couldn't bring myself to let them apologize by themselves. After all, I was the one who pranked them back. If I hadn't had pranked them back, they wouldn't have gotten angry at me. 

"I should be the one asking for forgiveness," I blurted. 

"What?" Fred and George both raised their eyebrows. 

"I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I'm the one who pranked the two of you. You two wouldn't have been upset with me if it wasn't for my prank. Do you two forgive me?" 

Fred looked at his twin, "I don't know. Should we forgive her, Georgie?" 

"I'm not so sure," George shrugged. "I mean, she really gave us a right good scare." 

"You're right. Not to mention her prank caused us to fight last night. " 

"Oh, yes. That's true. We should probably forgive her, you know, seeing as how she is my girlfriend and all. " 

"True. Plus, she's one my best friends-"

"Oh, come on, you two!" I gave a wry smile. "Are you going to forgive me or not?"

Fred chuckled, "Of course we're going to." 

"How could we not forgive you?" George grinned.

"Besides-" 

George braced his hands on my waist while he pulled me close, his chin resting comfortably on my left shoulder. Fred took his position behind me with his arms around my chest, his chin on my right shoulder. I felt myself smile as the two of them whispered the same sentence into both of my ears: 

"That was a bloody good prank!"


End file.
